


Something New

by phoenixandashes



Category: Fable - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Gen, Multi, Other, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-11-06
Updated: 2010-11-06
Packaged: 2017-10-22 07:41:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 21,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/235724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenixandashes/pseuds/phoenixandashes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p><i>Yare... so much on the go IRL, Chapter 11 of ANKB is half finished (but half incomplete), I'm a two days behind on my NaNoWriMo, JTM has stalled for the indefinite future and I'm writing </i>this<i> – purely because I can't get the characters to leave me alone. Hopefully, with this committed to text I can get my full mojo back on my NaNo.</i></p>
    </blockquote>





	1. Mourningwood

**Author's Note:**

> _Yare... so much on the go IRL, Chapter 11 of ANKB is half finished (but half incomplete), I'm a two days behind on my NaNoWriMo, JTM has stalled for the indefinite future and I'm writing_ this _– purely because I can't get the characters to leave me alone. Hopefully, with this committed to text I can get my full mojo back on my NaNo._

_Yare... so much on the go IRL, Chapter 11 of ANKB is half finished (but half incomplete), I'm a two days behind on my NaNoWriMo, JTM has stalled for the indefinite future and I'm writing_ this _– purely because I can't get the characters to leave me alone. Hopefully, with this committed to text I can get my full mojo back on my NaNo._

 _Just a series of linked drabbles – I did have them all in one chapter but I think it makes a bit more sense to split them up._

 _Damn Fable 3 for being that epically awesome. And damn Ben Finn for being unromanceable XD_

 _DISCLAIMER: This is a non-profit fanwork and the author has no rights over any of the characters or storylines used (with the exception of original interpretations). In short, don't own, don't sue – 'tis but a bit of fun._

x.x.x

The phrase "flower in the dirt" was definitely cliché and cheesy – especially considering her name – but Ben couldn't think of a more apt description for her when she arrived with Sir Walter at Mourningwood Fort.

Sure, her highwayman clothes were muddy and a tad dishevelled, but her brown eyes sparkled with mischief and her smile was all the more dazzling in this setting of death and misery.

The men, already bolstered by Sir Walter's presence, were all the more confident and determined as the Princess ("Call me Rose," she said. "Or even Recruit! Do you think Walter would let me sign up?") walked amongst them, chatty and cheerful. She even gave Acting-Lieutenant Tyler some new lute strings (thank the Maker, the out-of-tune replacements he had been fashioning from goodness-knows-what were horrendous) and sang a few songs for the men – some of which were a lot bawdier than was probably proper for someone of her station.

Ben quickly resolved to ignore every princess stereotype he had ever read since it was clear none of them applied to her. She took the steps up to the mortar two at a time, her pistol swinging at her hip and her rifle and sword clinking together from where they were strapped on her back.

"Righto," she said with an enthusiastic smile. "What do you need me to do, Captain?"

It was that smile that had seen Ben through some of the darker nights of their final weeks in the Fort after she and Walter had left – something brilliant in a place so dark, and something to keep fighting for. Although some of her magic spells would have probably been a little more useful.

x.x.x

 _Part two probably up tomorrow... please review though, I like them :3_

 _Also, I will take requests for this, so leave a review with a particular Ben/Princess scene you would like to see and I'll give it a go :D_


	2. The Cock in the Crown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Wowsers! Thank you sooo much for the reviews, they've really made me feel awesome :D And so much for just writing this down and getting it out of the way lol, I'm totally geared up to write more!_

_Wowsers! Thank you sooo much for the reviews, they've really made me feel awesome :D And so much for just writing this down and getting it out of the way lol, I'm totally geared up to write more!_

Just to clarify, these will be drabbles that (on the whole) will be linked... though with some of the ideas I've seen in the reviews there may be a few AU-esque chapters hehe.

Once again, thanks for the reviews – hope you like this chapter too :D May even update a drabble a day if I keep getting feedback at the rate you have hehe.

x.x.x

The brigade returned to Bowerstone, smaller, dirtier and generally worse for wear but in high spirits. Ben washed, shaved and put on his clean(er) uniform and decided he was due a bit of downtime in the market.

He was just passing the Cock in the Crown (a pub name which he was surprised Logan allowed to remain) when he spotted a familiar face through the window. He backtracked and sauntered in through the door, waving a greeting to the barman and winking at Lisa the barmaid before turning to walk up to the princess.

She was sat at one of the tables with a glass of water (in a pub? Walter would be horrified) and an empty plate, her highwayman trousers replaced by a blue and red tartan kilt (he was looking at the kilt and not her legs, honest! Though the tattoos on her thighs were rather distracting...) and a mercenary jacket. Her boot-clad feet were propped on the table as she leant back in the chair, her eyes reading through the pieces of paper that had been left on the... oh no...

"You have quite the way with words, Captain Finn," she remarked without looking up from the pages. "Tell me... do you deliberately leave copies of this around the various establishments in Albion, or is it just coincidence?"

"You've errr... read more of them, have you?"

She smiled, and any embarrassment Ben felt quickly washed away. "I think they're marvellous. Really, you ought to get around to finishing it and getting it published."

"Truth be told I think I've yet to live the more exciting chapters."

"More exciting than accidental piracy?"

Ben winced. "Yes, well..."

"Oh!" Rose exclaimed quickly, her feet swinging of the table as she sat upright. "I didn't mean it in a bad way! Oh, bugger me, I'm sorry – I must sound like a complete idiot."

Ben blinked and processed the two things that had just happened. Firstly she was _apologising_ , assuming that she had offended him (which she really hadn't – but knowing that your potential-future-monarch and upholder of the law was aware of your less-than-savoury past was, at this stage, a tad uncomfortable) and secondly she had just said _bugger_. The second was further evidence that Ben ought not to expect the "normal" behaviour of nobles when dealing with her.

"Really, princess, it's okay. I know what you meant – yes, being a pirate was... _interesting_ ," he said with a light laugh, trying to find the most tactful word for his experiences, "but I think being as part of the Royal Army is far more exciting."

"Oh!" Rose said again, a blush rising up her face. "Well. Splendid!" Out in the square, the clock tower struck once to mark the hour and Rose shot to her feet.

"Balls, is that the time? Scout!" she called and her dog barked in reply, wriggling out from its hiding place under the table. He sat at his mistress' feet dutifully, wagging his tail happily. "Sorry to cut this short, Captain, but I need to head to Silverpines for nightfall."

"Silverpines?"

"Some curse or another – not quite sure what it is, but it sounds interesting anyway! I shall see you in a few weeks, no doubt, once I've convinced Bowerstone that I'm at least a little bit useful. Give my best to the Major and our friends down in Industrial," she added with a cheeky salute. She handed Ben the pages of his autobiography and dashed out of the door, her hound at her heels.

Ben looked down at the pages in his hand and spotted a folded note tucked in between them. A flowing script addressed the letter to Walter, so he tucked it into his inside pocket and reminded himself to give it to the old man later. He left his pages on the table for some other person to read but found he was strangely indifferent to what others would think about it.

He had the approval of one fan, and as far as he was concerned there was no higher authority.

x.x.x

 _I can't have been the only one who scoured Albion's pubs just to find those pages and listen to him talk, right?_

 _:D_


	3. The Sewers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _This is one version of Ben finding out about Elliot and Rose. I'm not particularly pleased with it which is why I've done an addendum to this one (kind of based on a suggestion from anonymous review "loveitt" – I can't reply to you if you don't log in, but thanks for reviewing hehe!) for chapter 4. The reason I've put this up is because I like how Ben found Rose, if not their conversation afterwards._

_This is one version of Ben finding out about Elliot and Rose. I'm not particularly pleased with it which is why I've done an addendum to this one (kind of based on a suggestion from anonymous review "loveitt" – I can't reply to you if you don't log in, but thanks for reviewing hehe!) for chapter 4. The reason I've put this up is because I like how Ben found Rose, if not their conversation afterwards._

 _Once again, thank you so much for the reviews! Much love to you all xxxx  
_

 _x.x.x_

Ben Finn was lost.

No, not lost... directionally challenged.

Well that didn't sound much better. Then he was... wayward? Astray? Adrift? Disorientated?

Ben rounded the corner in the tunnels and, upon seeing no landmark, person or other indication of life, swore. No, he wasn't lost: he was all of the bloody above.

He had to give the Resistance credit – hiding in these sewers, while rather disgusting, was a bloody good idea. The Major had given him cryptic directions and he was sure he had followed them correctly – but here he was looking at a dark crossroads full of slime and not the rebel base.

Clearly he had taken a wrong turn somewhere.

Ben sighed and closed his eyes, trying to pull on his instinct and good sense. Which in actuality meant playing "eeny meeny miny mo" in his head while looking at the three ways before him.

Mo told him to go left... but left was never a particularly good direction for him. Right, too, often led to disaster and as for straight on – well, straight on had got him here so its reliability was also questionable.

Making a controversial decision and hoping his luck would change, Ben went right and hopped over a suspicious puddle to get onto the sewers walkways. Right, unfortunately, looked as bare as the other routes he had taken, with no crates with the Reaver Industries stamp (the ones Major Swift told him to look out for) in sight.

Ben stopped at another fork in the tunnels and swore under his breath again. Today was _not his day_. He looked to the right, which was a dead end, and then left, where murky daylight was pouring in through one of the grates... at another dead end. Deciding his at least might be able to get some fresher air and maybe an idea of where in Industrial he was, Ben went left and stood under the grate, craning his neck to try and get a view of any of the buildings above.

He paused in his attempt to get his bearings when a small sob echoed around the dank cavern. He looked over his shoulder in the direction of the noise and listened for it again, just in case he had been hearing things.

He wasn't.

Someone was crying nearby, and while he was no good at dealing with crying women (or at least he _hoped_ it was a woman, since any man who cried quite like that ought to be ashamed of himself) she may have an idea of where he needed to go – or at least how to get out.

"Hello?" Ben called. "Is someone there?"

The crying stopped abruptly with a small hiccup followed by a soft exclamation of _"shit_."

"It's okay," he said reassuringly, walking towards the dead end on the right where a shadow of a girl was tucked in the corner, "I'm not going to hurt you or anything... but I could do with your help if you wouldn't mind-,"

"Stay there!" the girl said quickly, holding out her hand to indicate him to stop. "Don't come any closer – if you want to get out you need to go back to down the tunnels to the crossroads and go straight on."

The annoyance that the game was right dissipated quickly as he recognised the voice giving him directions. "Princess?"

" _Shit_."

"Hopping hobbes, what are you doing down here?" He went to move closer so he could see her better but she waved him away with her outstretched hand.

"No, no, no, no," she said quickly. "Don't look at me, just... oh _balls._ "

Ben responded to her request by turning his back on her and leaning against one of the walls. After a few minutes, once she got the worst of her tears under control, he hazarded a look over his shoulder at her. "Are you hurt?"

"No," she answered quickly. "Well, _yes_ , but not... I'm not injured," she clarified. "I just needed... oh, _sod_ , this is embarrassing."

"What happened?"

"I... no, I can't say it out loud, it's just me being stupid that's all."

"More stupid than accidentally becoming a pirate?"

Rose laughed softly, and her melancholy lifted somewhat. "Given the current circumstances, I would say it was."

"Try me."

She sighed and ran a hand over her face, dashing away some stray tears. "I ran into someone I knew once," she replied quietly.

"Someone you knew once?" Ben queried, "Or someone you _knew_ once?"

"Aha," Rose said with a small laugh. "Yes. Well. Someone I _knew_. We were involved... had been for years. I guess I assumed he would be waiting for me – despite all that happened."

Ben listened as Rose's story fell from her lips – how her brother had made her choose between her lover and a group of protestors, and how she had chosen Elliot to survive and the people to die. "It was so _stupid_ ," she said, tears burning in her eyes again. "Practically, realistically... I should have chosen them. The path of less death, less overall pain... but then I was selfish."

Ben shook his head. "The protestors will have known what they risked. It wasn't your fault."

Rose shrugged. "Either way, they died for my choice. And Elliot... we never got a chance to get through it. I left the castle with Walter and Jasper that same night, and all Walter told me was that Elliot was safe." She laughed, bitterly. "I didn't think much of it at the time. I suppose I ought to have realised then whatever life I had there was gone the moment I left the castle grounds."

"So you've seen this Elliot in Bowerstone then?" Ben asked. He tried to keep the disdain from his voice when speaking the boy's name – despite the fact he had never met him, Ben had already made up his mind that he Did Not like him.

"I was asked by a lady in Industrial to rescue her fiancé who had been kidnapped by a gang of criminals," Rose said. "We fought our way through the lackeys to the leader, and he said that her fiancé was being held in the sewers below. She stayed behind to keep an eye on the kidnapper and I jumped down the shaft. Imagine my surprise to see Elliot waiting there!" she said with a forced laugh. "Fate works in the weirdest of ways, I suppose."

"And he chose to stay with her?"

"Not exactly," Rose said. "He asked me to make the decision."

"What?"

Rose shrugged. It was at this moment that Ben noticed that she was playing with a silver ring on her left hand set with a small blue stone. "Apparently he loved us both _that_ much he couldn't possibly choose. I thought about it and let him go. His promise to her was more important than his one to me – and at least this way he will be safe. Sort of."

"Sort of?"

"Well his fiancée does run the orphanage and shelter in Industrial, and does a good job of rubbing Reaver's nose in it, so I hear. Perhaps not one hundred per cent safe, but safer than he would be if he kept ties with me."

"Princess," Ben said, turning to face Rose properly. "You don't need to justify your decision – at all. It should never have been yours to make. The only decision you should have has was a yes or no to you taking him back, not whether he should come back or not."

Rose sighed and looked back at the ring on her hand, sliding it off her hand and pocketing it. "I guess sitting in the corner of the sewers and crying about it was stupid after all."

"Crying about it wasn't, but the in the sewer part is. Now, how do we get out of here and I'll buy you a drink – from the sounds of things you need a proper vent and a break. Being a Hero is bloody hard work after all."

Rose smiled and took Ben's proffered hand. "Thank you," she said after a few moments of walking through the tunnels.

"Anytime, princess."

Rose led the way to the exit near the Riveter's Rest when she remembered something. "Ben."

"Yes, Princess?"

"What were you doing down this end of the sewers anyway?"

"I was..." _Not lost, not lost, something else..._ "Looking for something."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Really."

"Yes, a most important thing which... well you distracted me and I can't remember what it was now."

Rose giggled, and Ben felt a surge of victory that he managed to cheer her up – even if it was laughter at his expense. "Couldn't find the rebel base, could you?"

Ben's shoulders slumped in defeat. "I think I took a wrong turn."

"Uhhuh. Well let's get this drink and I shall show you the way – you might want to think up a suitable excuse for your tardiness."

"Rescuing a damsel in distress doesn't count?"

"A _plausible_ excuse."

"But it's the truth!"

"Call me a damsel again and I'll leave you down here to get lost again."

Ben gulped. "Yes ma'am."

x.x.x

 _As already mentioned, Chapter Four will be an alternate version of this scenario. :D Thanks for your reviews and your adds/favs – hope you enjoy the future drabbles :D_


	4. Industrial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Ignore note of last drabble! This is no longer AU – my muses came up with an idea to fit this in :D_

_Ignore note of last drabble! This is no longer AU – my muses came up with an idea to fit this in :D_

 _WARNING: There may be some minor Elliot bashing. Please don't get mad!_

 _x.x.x_

Ben had forgotten how bloody _miserable_ Bowerstone Industrial was.

Even the Riveter's Rest was a home for the miserable. While he understood that a pub was a place to drown sorrows, the sorrow was usually kept to one corner of the establishment.

Not so in Industrial. There wasn't even a corner for the merriment to linger.

Ben glanced out the murky window at the similarly murky sky. Night was falling across Albion – though it was difficult to tell the difference around here, the smog from the factories doing a suitable job of blocking out any kind of sunlight.

"Don't see many of your type round these parts," a barmaid remarked as she sauntered over the clean the table next to him.

"My type?" Ben inquired.

"You know. Soldiers. You got fam'ly round here or summat?" she said, standing with her hand on her hip.

Ben snorted and drained his glass, setting it on the table next to him. "Yeah, you could say that," he said.

The girl's eyes flashed in a brief second of recognition. "Huh," she said, leaning over the table to pick up his glass. "Well, don't be 'anging 'round 'ere for too long. Your babbies probably miss you enough when you're off soldiering without you drinking away your pay in 'ere."

The girl wiped away some of the scum off the table and in the same movement left a slip of paper in its wake. The move was so practiced, so subtle, had Ben not been expecting it he would have missed it entirely. He offered the girl a small smile and, in a similarly discreet movement, slipped a small bundle of coins into the pocket of her apron.

"Aye, I probably should get back. Keep safe," he added in passing, standing to leave, sliding the report into his pocket.

"And you love, and you."

Ben wandered down the darkening streets of Industrial watching the workers of Albion shuffle around him as the shifts changed for the night. Out of sight of the pub now, he slipped the report from his pocket to his inside pocket in his uniform. The Resistance had a large network across the city, with the juicier information being fed and filtered through the most obvious of places – pubs. Ben wondered for a moment how long the barmaid had been fighting the most important fight by listening for the news and filtering the useless from the useful.

The streets near the old quarter were near enough empty, the middle classes avoiding industrial like the plague and all the lower ones either in bed or on the main roads to work. Ben turned down the road past the orphanage when he heard voices echoing around the hollow buildings.

"Rose, wait! What are you doing?"

There was a frustrated sigh. " _Please_ go home."

"No! Not until you tell me why you're giving this back. I... I gave it to _you_. I want you to keep it."

"Elliot, stop making this harder than this already is!"

"Harder? You're the one that's insisted on giving this back!"

Ben peered around one of the broken piles of wall in time to see Rose toss her head back in dry, bitter laughter. "Giving it back? I'd hardly call leaving it on your doorstep giving it back."

"I can't believe you're doing this. Do I really mean that little to you?"

"Heroes give me strength!" Rose said, throwing her hands up in dismay. "As if you're making this all about you! **Again**!"

"What, and you'd rather it was all about you?" Elliot threw back venomously. "As if it wasn't already, with you being a princess, a rebel and a Hero to boot."

Ben hesitated for a moment before walking towards the arguing pair. Part of him told him to walk away and leave them be – this was nothing Rose couldn't handle, and it was none of his business. But at the same time, he remembered her tears in the sewers and her perpetual and difficult to remove melancholy that followed them both to the Crown as they had a drink. He couldn't let her go through this alone and end up back at square one.

"No! I wanted it to be about _us_!" Rose ran her hands through her dishevelled hair and sighed. "But then... there is no us. Not anymore. I... Ben? What are you doing here?"

"Just passing through, Princess," he said casually, stepping beside her. He looked the young man over and resisted the urge to sneer a little. Ben was surprised he had managed to survive in Industrial dressed like that – it was no wonder Ferret and his gang kidnapped him since he looked like he had money.

"Who's this?" Elliot said snippily.

"He's a friend," Rose replied quickly with a small smile and grateful look at Ben. Elliot scowled.

"Friend, huh? Or something else?"

"What's it to you?" Ben said.

"An awful lot, if you must know. I don't want to see her hurt by the likes of _you_."

"But it's acceptable for her to be hurt by the likes of you?"

Elliot started towards Ben aggressively before stopping suddenly the colour draining from his face. Quick as a flash, Ben had his pistol in his hands and held it into Elliot's stomach.

"Gentlemen, please!" Rose said beseechingly. "Elliot, stop being a fool, Ben doesn't need a pistol to knock you into the next aeon. Ben, put the gun away please," she added, putting a calming hand on the captain's arm and squeezing gently. She turned back to Elliot, her hand still on Ben's arm as he holstered his gun. "Look, Elliot, I don't want to part on terms like this. Just take the ring back and I'll be on my way."

Elliot looked at the ring in his hand and clutched it tightly. "But _why_?"

Rose shook her head. "I cannot believe you are asking that question, and I cannot believe we are having this discussion. Just take it back already and leave me be. There's too much at stake for me to be dwelling on things I cannot change. Especially girlish fancies of a life that has long ended."

" _Girlish fancies_? Is that all I was to you?"

"I loved you!" Rose said, starting with a shout and then tempering it to a stage whisper. "For months I've been wandering what feels like all corners of Albion, wondering when I could get home, tell my brother he's an ass and then come back to you, but it doesn't work like that. I need to fight, and I need to devote my life to making these people _believe_ again... to do that I can't devote my life to you. Sell the ring, use the proceeds for the orphanage and forget me. It's for the best."

Elliot opened his mouth as if he was going to argue further, but Ben gave him a dangerous look. "Let it go, boy."

Elliot scowled at Ben but said nothing. He slipped the ring back into the pouch Rose had found for it and tucked it into his pocket. "Very well. Thank you for the donation to the orphanage, your highness," Elliot said mechanically. "I wish you well with your future endeavours."

Ben felt Rose's hand tense on his arm but she remained quite still until Elliot had turned to walk away and gone back into the shelter. When the door shut behind him, Ben felt Rose sag and he quickly turned to her.

"Well that was..." she said weakly, running a hand over her face. "Trying?"

Ben reached out and grasped Rose's other hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

They left the orphanage garden hand-in-hand, walking in relative silence towards the Market.

"I'm sorry for interfering," Ben said after a while,

"No," she said, "you've nothing to apologise for. We were arguing in the street like children. Thank you for rescuing me – I don't know what would have been said had you not arrived when you did."

Ben squeezed her hand again, then moved her and arm to loop it through his crooked elbow. Rose leant against him gratefully and sighed.

"Why did you go back there?"

"Because I'm a glutton for punishment?" she said with a snort. "I wanted to return the ring he gave to me. I thought about selling it myself, but then I thought they would make better use of the money at the shelter than I would. I wrapped it up in a leather pouch and left it on the doorstep, but Elliot saw me in the garden and came outside. The rest... well, you saw the rest."

"If you don't mind me saying so, the boy could do with learning some manners."

Rose laughed, and inwardly Ben celebrated a small victory. "Maybe not manners, but certainly he could do with a reality check. Hopefully some more time in Industrial will open his eyes a bit."

"His eyes should have opened already, working where he does."

"Elliot is an idealist," she said with another sigh. "Linda, what little I've spoken to her, comes across as a realist. Hopefully she will be a suitable balance for him."

They rounded the corner into the square, still arm in arm. The lights from the Cock in the Crown spilled onto the cobbles at their feet as they approached the pub. "Well, it would appear that Walter and Swiftie beat me here," Ben said with a sigh. "That's another handful of gold I'll need to hand over. Would you care to join us, Princess? Or do you have some Hero-ing to do?"

Rose put her free hand on her hip and regarded Ben seriously. "Only if you drop the Princess business. I've had enough of formalities for a good while."

Ben unlooped their arms and caught Rose's hand in his own. With a quick glance through the window to make sure Walter wasn't looking, he bowed and brought her hand to his lips. "Formalities?" he queried. "Have you ever thought that it might just be because I want to call you princess?" he said, kissing her knuckles gently and holding eye contact.

Rose flushed and quickly withdrew her hand. "We mustn't keep the Major waiting," she said quickly, retreating through the pub door. Smiling to himself, Ben followed her and went up to the bar to order, while in a dark corner of his mind he thought of various accidents and humiliating situations for the fool in Industrial.

x.x.x

 _In one of my playthroughs I did marry Elliot, and it is kind of sweet chatting to him and hearing stories of earlier days – but seriously, why does_ my _morality drop when I make the choice? It wasn't me that was playing away! Also, he's so_ whiny _during that arc "Oh woe is me, I love two women, I don't know what to do... I know, I'll absolve myself of any guilt and have you make the choice" because that'll work Idiot._

 _Anyway. Elliot bashing over. Think I'm going to go with drunk!Princess next XD_

 _Reviews make me happy! :D :D :D_


	5. Ale and Laughter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Onwards! :D This chapter is one I've been looking forward to hehe. Thank you so much for your lovely reviews (and the alerts and favs :D) – in the process of replying to reviewers while I write this (though if you write anonymously I can't reply :( which is sad, because I want to send all of you big internet hugs! :D)_

_Onwards! :D This chapter is one I've been looking forward to hehe. Thank you so much for your lovely reviews (and the alerts and favs :D) – in the process of replying to reviewers while I write this (though if you write anonymously I can't reply :( which is sad, because I want to send all of you big internet hugs! :D)_

 _Hope you like this chapter ^^_

 _x.x.x_

If he was being completely honest, Ben was embarrassing himself.

There were many things from his past that he didn't usually share – or wouldn't normally share in polite company at least. Stories of various conquests and embarrassing incidents were the norm amongst soldiers, but usually in the company of a woman he would be trying to portray himself in the best possible light – stories of sharpshooting and acts of bravery, that sort of thing.

Perhaps it was because part of him (having fought by her side and seen her in action) thought that stories of acts of bravery wouldn't impress her. Or, as another part hoped, since she had fought with him, he wouldn't need to re-tell such tales.

More likely than not, it was the combination of the ale they had both consumed.

"Wait, wait, wait!" she said, giggling, her face rosy red in her tipsiness. "She was _married_?"

"I didn't know that at the time!"

"And you made your escape through the window?"

"Third floor window then on to the roof, yes. Haven't you been listening?"

"Sorry," she said, another bubble of laughter escaping her lips. "I was distracted by the image of you running naked across the roofs of Bloodstone."

Ben smirked. "Distracted, huh? Why, princess, I didn't know you had such a vivid imagination."

Rose's blush deepened further and she shunted him in the ribs with her elbow. "Stop that."

"Stop what? It wasn't me that was letting my thoughts run away with me."

"No, you were just escaping certain death from a woman's husband through a window without s stitch on. Didn't anyone see you?"

"Quite possibly. The sky was clear, the moon was full..." Ben grinned as Rose started laughing again.

"Was she worth the trouble?"

"Oh, yes," Ben admitted with a laugh.

"Strong willed and with stronger thighs?"

Ben let out a bark of laughter. "You really _have_ been reading my auto-biography!"

Rose grinned, but any reply she had was cut off when the barman rang the bell calling for closing time.

"What? When was the last orders bell?"

"Ages ago. You were halfway through your story about tomb-raiding in Wraithmarsh."

"Oh yeah..." Okay, so perhaps he had thrown some stories of adventures and bravery in there. Oh well.

Rose stood up and started laughing again as she swayed. "Whoa okay," she said with another giggle. "Don't think I'll be trying to get to Mourningwood right now."

The barman walked over to their table to collect their glasses. "Would you be wanting your usual room, Miss Rose?" he asked.

"If it's available, yes please."

The barman smiled wamly and handed her the key. "Sleep well."

Ben raised an eyebrow. "You stay here a lot then?"

"Hmm? Yeah," Rose said. "Coming?"

Ben blinked, his brain working overtime to what she was suggesting. "What?"

"Well you can hardly go back to the barracks like this," she said with a laugh. "Especially on your own."

His imagination ground to a halt, mildly disappointed, but he saw her logic. "Alright," he said, standing up shakily and following her up the stairs.

Rose locked the door behind them and sat on the small bed in the corner to take off her boots. Ben shed his sword and rifle and bent to unbuckle his own boots, resisting the urge to peek under his arm to look at her legs.

Rose yawned and stretched out on the small cot. Ben raised an eyebrow at her.

"Why are you all the way over there?"

"Hm?" Rose said, looking over as Ben removed the leather strap that was buckled across his chest.

"Room enough for two here," he said, nudging the comfier bed with his foot. Rose blushed and Ben shook his head. "Look, princess, I may be a scoundrel sometimes, but I won't touch – promise. I do have some restraint you know."

Rose's blush deepened as she sat up and got to her feet. "It wasn't your restraint I was worried about," she said quietly.

Ben blinked dumbly as she slowly walked towards him. He felt her hand on his arm, trailing up over the fabric of his shirt as she stepped close. His brain was going overtime, with most of his thoughts leading up to one main conclusion.

 _Walter is going to kill me_.

She tilted her head and leant in, her lips brushing lightly over his. He could smell the sweet honeyed scent of the ale they had both been drinking, and part of him was screaming at him to put an end to this before it started, to leave and let her sober up...

However, he decided to listen to the more adventurous part of his brain.

"Oh... sod it," he whispered under his breath. He pulled Rose flush against him and kissed her properly. His arms went around her, his hands stroking down her back while hers snuck between them to unbutton his jacket. He shrugged it off his shoulders and then put his arms around her again, one of hers running through his hair and the other snaking up underneath his shirt.

He took a step backwards and they tumbled together onto the bed. They kissed some more, each one becoming more urgent and demanding than the last. She sat up suddenly, breaking away, moving herself to straddle him and shrugging off her own jacket. Ben reached up to trace the swirling tattoo on her upper arm and she bent back down to kiss him again.

Ben hadn't expected her to be some shy virgin (if the way Elliot had looked at her was any indication, that hurdle was jumped long ago) but he didn't expect her to be quite so bold either. Perhaps it was the drink, lowering inhibitions and so on, but he was a little startled when her hand ran down his chest and crept lower and lower...

He sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth. "You're treading on dangerous ground there, princess," he said, his lips brushing against hers as he spoke.

"Oh really?" she said back, smirking against his lips.

"Uhhuh," Ben managed to get out. There was something else he needed to ask, something important before he lost his head completely. "Do you... do you have anything?"

"Anything?" Rose queried, confused at first. Ben cocked an eyebrow and looked pointedly downwards, and a look of realisation crossed the princess' face. She rested her forehead against his and sighed in disappointment.

" _Balls_."

"Well, I suppose that's a fairly suitable word for the situation," he said with a weak laugh. It was probably for the best – she wasn't entirely sober, and neither was he, and while he was disappointed, at least this way he would avoid death by Walter.

He started to move out from under her, fully intending to take the cot in the corner or even just offering to hold her for the night, when her hand stopped him. She grinned at him and kissed him quickly again, her lips moving from his to his neck and up to his ear.

"No matter," she said into his ear, tugging at his earlobe with her teeth. "We don't need to go all the way to have a bit of fun."

She sat back onto her heels to look at him and giggled at his bemused expression. Her hand continued down the path it was going before and he watched in wonder as she slid from his lap to her knees onto the floor.

A choked moan escaped his lips and as eyes fluttered shut he had one last coherent thought.

 _Yep. Walter's going to kill me._

x.x.x

 _Ehehehe._

 _Tomorrow: Ben flirts with Page and doesn't get the reaction he expected from the Princess..._

 _Reviews make me happy :D :D :D_


	6. The Resistance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Thank you so much for the reviews and favs guys, really appreciate the support :D The more you review, the more I feel inspired and the faster I write hehe (I'm not just saying that, some of your reviews have been so lovely that I have been propelled into writing more hehe!)_

_Thank you so much for the reviews and favs guys, really appreciate the support :D The more you review, the more I feel inspired and the faster I write hehe (I'm not just saying that, some of your reviews have been so lovely that I have been propelled into writing more hehe!)_

 _Anyway, onwards! :D_

x.x.x

As Ben stood in the Colonel's office at the barracks, he couldn't help but feel a little jealous of the Princess.

She had somehow avoided a hangover ("It's a Hero thing, so Jasper tells me," she said with a shrug. "Something about my blood being resistant to most poison effects. Which makes great for drinking – all the fun, none of the hassle!") and woke up at the crack of dawn, cheerful as you pleased. She tried to avoid waking him (so she claimed) and in truth she had managed to extract herself from his arms without a fuss. It was when he started to feel cold without her that he woke up to see her nearly fully dressed and tugging her boots on.

"Running out on me?" he said, his voice gravelly with sleep and the after-effects of one too many beers. She smiled and scooted up the bed next to him, bending down to kiss her forehead.

"As much as I would love to stay in bed all day," she said with a smile, "things to do, people to save and all that."

"Mourningwood?"

"Mmm. I've a delivery to make."

"Sounds... exciting," Ben said dryly.

"Albion's friendly errand-girl, that's me!"

She had left soon after, leaving Ben to gather up his clothes and wander back to the barracks – which was why he was here, his head aching as he stood to attention while the Colonel lectured.

"...missing morning roll calls, shirking your duties, wandering the streets with your uniform in a state, smelling of drink – what do you have to say for yourself, soldier?"

Ben resisted the urge to roll his eyes. The Colonel was an upper class twit who essentially bought his rank. He had about as much combat experience as a new recruit (probably even less) and his only job seemed to be the biggest asshole as possible. "With all due respect, sir -,"

There was a knock on the door which saved Ben from finishing his sentence (which was probably just as well, since it was likely to not be particularly polite). The Colonel glared at the door before answering. "Enter!" he barked.

Major Swift opened the door. "I hear you hauled one of my men in, sir."

"He returned to the barracks about half an hour ago in a state, Major. Really, the state of your unit is a shambles."

Major Swift looked Ben up and down and his brow furrowed. "Sir, most of my brigade is on leave. We only returned from the Fort a few days ago."

The Colonel faltered in the wake of this information and stuttered. "Well... I suppose... Then there's... Fine!" he said. "You're dismissed, Finn. But stay out of my sight while you're on leave. You're an eyesore."

"Yes, sir," Ben said with a salute. He exited the room, Major Swift following him, and turned down the corridor to his room.

"Ben," the Major said. Ben turned to face his superior officer quickly since he was one actually deserving of respect.

"Sir?"

"My office in an hour, if you please. I need to sign off your report from Mourningwood."

"Yes, sir," Ben said with a salute. He turned back down towards his room, trying to keep a smile from spreading across his face. The report from Mourningwood was a fictitious reason the Major had come up with to talk about the revolution in plain sight. The last time was a "review of the report" – meaning there was still work to be done and discussed.

Signing off meant that the Princess had done it. The Resistance were on side and things were falling into place. He grabbed his towel and headed downstairs to shower quickly before he met with the Major, anticipation boiling in his stomach as to what would happen next.

x.x.x

"Sewers," Ben muttered under his breath. "Always with the sewers."

"Quite your bellyaching, Ben," Major Swift said over his shoulder. "You better get used to it. You're to be my liaison with the Resistance. Ideally I would do it myself but I can't move about as freely as you can."

"I won't let you down, sir," Ben asserted. Major Swift smiled at his second.

"I know you won't. A-ha, it would appear we have arrived. Walter!"

"Swift!" Walter called out from beyond the cordon of crates and sandbags. "Didn't expect you to come down here, old friend."

"Harumph," Swift said. "And leave you to ruin anything important? Not likely. I'd wager I'm more surprised seeing you down here – don't you have a thing with dark tunnels?"

"Actually now that you mention it, the last time the three of us were in a cave it didn't exactly go well..." Ben mused out loud with a smirk.

"Shut up, Ben," Walter said through gritted teeth. "And you can wipe that smirk off your face, Swift. Just consider yourself damn lucky you were unconscious while we were stuck in that blasted place."

"Ben doesn't seem as twitchy as you though," Major Swift commented, following Walter through to the Resistance's makeshift War Room.

"That's because Ben's a _buffoon_."

"Oi!" Ben said. "I'll have you know that the pain from my broken leg rendered my memory of those many hours rather hazy, thank you very much. A broken leg which I sustained saving your sorry ass."

"To leave me conscious for the whole thing to deal with your whining – yes, how _noble_ of you."

"Soldiers!" a woman declared angrily. "What are they doing here?"

"Same thing you are, I hope," Ben said. "Looking to knock Logan on his tyrannical backside?"

"Shut _up_ , Ben."

"Wait," Page said, looking at Ben more closely. "I know you. You've been helping us with our information exchanges."

"That I have."

"Huh. Well maybe you're not completely useless. But still, I don't like that you're here."

"Page, I trust these two men with my life," Walter tried to say reassuringly. "Even if Ben is an idiot."

"And do you trust them with the life of the Princess?" she retorted. Ben whistled under his breath – Page clearly knew Walter very well to know what was important to him.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Walter said.

Ben felt a surge of personal pride at that statement and he resolved to let Walter make as many cracks against his intelligence as he liked as long as he continued to have that trust in him.

"Miss Page," Major Swift said formally, "I apologise for cutting to the chase, but we have much to discuss and I've not much time. I'm due to meet with Logan this afternoon to deliver my report, and try and eek as much information on his personal army as I can."

Page nodded, and the next hour was spent discussing how the army rebels and Resistance would collaborate and where they would meet. Page was reluctant to allow any further soldiers into the headquarters, thought she did agree to set up a safehouse for any soldiers that required a haven should their position become compromised. Major Swift looked at his watch and announced he had to leave and that he would contact Page in due course.

"Be careful, Swift," Walter cautioned.

"I will, Walter, have no fear. Behave yourself, Ben."

"Yes, sir," Ben said with a quick salute. He caught Page looking at him expectantly as Swift left the room. "Can I help you?" he asked with a wink.

"Ugh," Page said, rolling her eyes. "I was merely wondering why you're not accompanying your superior."

"Major Swift doesn't usually take me to the bigwig meetings. I may be his second, but sweet-talk with higher ranking officers isn't my forte. I always seem to manage to make things awkward."

"You don't say," Page said drily. "So tell me, how does a fool like yourself make Captain? I know they were lowering standards in the army, but I was under the impression leading men required at least some intelligence."

Ben put a hand over his heart and gasp theatrically. "Dear lady you _wound_ me. I'll have you know I'm a crack shot with a rifle. And pistol for that matter."

"Really." Page's response wasn't so much a question as a dry statement, but Ben pressed on regardless.

"Notable achievements of mine include a mercenary at nearly 500 yards, a troupe of hobbes in less than a minute and three hollow men with one shot when we were fighting with the Princess in Mourningwood Fort."

Page laughed. "I find that hard to believe."

"I'm telling you, I downed three hollow men with one shot, it's true!"

"I've never trusted a soldier in my life – I'm not going to start now."

"Wh—Will you tell her Walter?"

"Hey! I'm not getting involved."

Ben looked up, just as Rose walked in through the door, looking grimy, mud splattered up both her legs. "Look, look, here she is, ask her yourself."

"Ask me what?"

"Did I, or did I not down three hollow men with one shot?"

Rose grinned and looked at Page. "It was rather impressive," she said. "I could have done with that sharpshooting on my way back through Mourningwood."

"See?"

Page sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, give it a rest."

"Fine," Ben said sulkily. "I'll just stand here quietly, shall I?"

Page proceeded to ignore Ben while she outlined what she needed the Princess to do. Rose nodded seriously as Page and Walter explained what Reaver had been doing, and what they intended to do next.

"You'll have to wear this," Page said, handing over a large bag. Rose peered inside and raised an eyebrow, pulling out the mask and eyeing it suspiciously.

"Great!" Ben said. "Where's my costume?" He met Page's glare and sighed. "What? I still can't come? Even after the three hollow men story? Honestly, this is as bad as the army!"

"Now, everyone out," Page ordered. "I've a party to dress for."

"I'll stay and make sure no one spies on you," Ben said. He heard Rose giggle as she started to leave and he smirked.

"Everyone. Out."

"You know, I'm starting to have serious doubts about our relationship."

Page sighed in frustration and Ben echoed it with one of his own. "I knew I should have gone up to the castle with Swiftie."

"I just love how soldiers can come in and out of our secret hideout now," Page said irritably. "Whatever you do, please don't let Mr Finn follow you. I've had enough of him for one day."

The door slammed behind them all and Rose looked at Ben with a snicker. "Seems you've found a woman impervious to your charms, Captain Finn."

Walter let out a bark of laughter. "Charms? Ben hardly has _charms_. Hurry up to the Sanctuary, Rose, and get changed. This may be our only chance to get inside that manor."

"Yes, Walter," Rose said obediently to the general's retreating back.

"How was Mourningwood?" Ben asked, walking with the Princess as she headed for the exit.

"Muddy," she said, gesturing to her legs. She led the way to a corner of the headquarters and put the bag of clothes on top of a pile of the crates, leaning against one of the other piles. "And full of hollow men. Again. Honestly, you'd think the spirits of the dead would just want to rest, but noooo, they absolutely must terrorize every living being they come across." She looked over at Ben's sulky face and sighed in sympathy. "You wanted to come along, huh?"

"I just seem to be missing out on so much _action_ ," Ben said in frustration. "I've got Swiftie telling me to keep my head down, and the Resistance not letting me do anything other than pick up bits of paper."

Rose looked around to make sure none of the Resistance were nearby to overhear. "Truth be told," she said quietly, "I'd rather you were going with me. I know how to fight with you should we need to – I've never fought with Page before. She's a strong looking woman though."

"Aye, with a sharp tongue to boot."

Rose giggled. "Major Swift did mention you were arguing."

"He did? What else did he say?"

"He also said you had a "strange and troubled way" with the "fairer sex"," she said with a laugh.

"Huh, and yet you said I have charms. I wonder what that says about _you_."

"That I'm strange and troubled?" she said with a grin.

Ben smiled back, her renewed cheerfulness as infectious as it was when he met her in Mourningwood. Glad that her melancholy over Elliot had dissipated (and glad she was alright after her latest expedition) he leant in to kiss her gently, one hand on the wall behind her. She responded eagerly, but broke away before it risked turning into something more heated.

"You're going to make me late," she said with a grin. She retrieved her costume bag and ducked under his arm.

"Rose," Ben said as she walked away. She turned to him, her face a little surprised at the serious tone to his voice.

"Be careful," he said.

Rose smiled brilliantly at him. "Don't you worry about me. I'm always careful."

x.x.x

 _Wow okay this got long XD Oh well._

 _Okay, so the flirting wasn't really addressed hehe (I did have a difference outcome for this but then my muse ran away with me and it just morphed into another excuse for Ben/Princess fluff). I suppose the *assumption* is that he has been flirting, but I think he was mainly after permission to go on the quest, not Page's romantic favour (in this instance, anyway ^^)._

 _Also, just to explain a little bit of the earlier chitchat - as most of you will recall, Walter's speluncaphobia is as a result of when he and two other men were trapped by the enemy in a cave for three days. My theory is that the reason Ben is so loyal to Swift and Walter (as mentioned in his character bio in the guide hehe) and why Swift and Walter are so chummy (and Walter mentioned that he wouldn't want to go into battle without them) is because they were the three men. And then, of course, the only reason Walter is openly scared of caves is because Swift was out of it and Ben was in pain. Yeah, I think about these things too much XD_

 _Hope you liked this chapter :) Will try to update tomorrow. Please review! :D_


	7. Return from the Castle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Some of you have noticed that these aren't quite drabbles anymore... ehehe... well you'd be right XD Such is the power of reviews, ladies and gents hehe. I wrote the two shorts thinking "nah, no one will read this, I'll just get the thoughts out of my head so I can focus on other things" but then... well you read it and reviewed hehe. And made me very happy. And happy me gets inspired, and inspiration leads to, well, here XD Thank you ever so much – and I hope you continue to enjoy the chapters :D_

_Some of you have noticed that these aren't quite drabbles anymore... ehehe... well you'd be right XD Such is the power of reviews, ladies and gents hehe. I wrote the two shorts thinking "nah, no one will read this, I'll just get the thoughts out of my head so I can focus on other things" but then... well you read it and reviewed hehe. And made me very happy. And happy me gets inspired, and inspiration leads to, well, here XD Thank you ever so much – and I hope you continue to enjoy the chapters :D_

 _x.x.x_

She held his hand all the way back from the castle, but he could barely feel it.

He was shocked to the core. They had made a mistake somewhere and Swiftie had paid for it. He felt sick to the stomach at the thought of it, but then somehow he just couldn't take it in, couldn't process it. Ben had always prepared for the possibility that Swift would die – everyone did, after all, and as a soldier your chances of death were a lot, lot higher – but he never expected that it would end like _that_.

At the entrance to the sewers, Rose announced that she had an errand to run. "I'll be back soon," she assured him.

Ben looked at the princess and wished he could see her face. She was wearing a detailed hood attached to an embroidered shirt, shielding her face save for the tip of her nose, her chin and lips.

"It's probably not a good idea to be wandering alone around Bowerstone right now," he said.

"Scout will be with me," she said, ignoring his roll of his eyes, "and if I don't go now who knows when I'll get a few minutes to myself to do it? I'll see you inside shortly." She leant in to kiss his cheek and dashed back up the steps, Scout at her heels.

True to her word, she arrived at headquarters around ten minutes later, a bag of supplies looped around her wrist and a health potion in one hand.

"Ben told us what happened," Walter said to her as she entered. She uncorked the potion and downed it quickly, making a small noise of disgust. "Swift was a good friend," Walter continued sadly. "He died like a true soldier."

"A true soldier?" Ben said with a short bitter laugh. "Let's not pretend there was anything _noble_ about the way he died. He was tortured, humiliated and murdered."

"And he didn't give Logan anything or we'd be dead now. I call that noble."

"It was just a matter of time before Logan did this," Page said solemnly. "Before he decided to hunt us down. We have to fight back."

At his left, Ben heard the princess tut slightly under her breath. Ben made a mental note to question her later – clearly from the way Rose was still plying herself with health potions, Page's attack on Reaver's manor didn't go quite to plan.

"We're still not ready, though," Walter said. "We need more allies. And thanks to Swift's efforts we know exactly where to look."

"Before he was executed, the Major managed to send us a message," Ben explained to Rose.

"A soldier still loyal to the old guard brought it to me," Walter added, "at great risk to his life."

"What does it say?" Rose asked. Ben smiled a little.

"Well this is Swiftie we're talking about so it's rather straightforward," he said fondly. "'You will find allies in Aurora'."

"I still don't understand how anyone there could help us," Page said. "Aurora is a dead land. There's nothing there."

"Or at least, that's what we've been told," Walter said. "It's still the only lead we have anyway."

"Can we get on with the plan?" Ben said impatiently. "I have the overwhelming urge to shoot someone."

"First thing, we'll need a ship. You and Ben will get hold of one while Page and I make sure the rest of the fleet doesn't follow."

"You'll need to go via the back alleys," Page said. "And they'll be crawling with soldiers."

"Not a problem," Ben said. "I know my way around the place. I'll meet you at the back of the sewers," he said to Rose. "We're going to show Logan just what traitors can do."

"Wait," Rose said as Ben went to leave. "This is all well and good, but I have suggestion."

Ben stopped in his tracks and went back to his place by the map. "Go on," Page said.

"We wait," Rose said. "We keep our heads down and stay silent, only for a few days."

"Haven't we waited long enough?" Page said impatiently. "Logan could do any amount of damage in "a few days". There isn't the time to waste!"

"I have to say I'm in agreement with Page on this one," Walter said. "It will take time to get to Aurora – we can't afford to sit around and do nothing."

"Logan will be expecting retaliation from today's display," Rose said. "You said yourself soldiers will be swarming the city. He's waiting for our reaction and preparing for it. He'll have soldiers all over the place in his paranoia. Meanwhile, we wait. His soldiers will get impatient and disgruntled and be easier to overcome."

"They're hardly as elite as they claim," Ben said. "They won't be difficult to fight."

"That as may be, but I have another reason," Rose said. "Major Swift's execution was hardly by the book. No trial, no evidence – just a death at Logan's word. He was a popular officer and popular figurehead for the army. People will already be questioning the truth behind Logan's actions. Reacting now will only confirm his words, but by waiting a few days we will allow that doubt to grow more – is there really a threat of rebellion, or has Logan just become a paranoid tyrant? Dissent will grow in the ranks of the soldiers, separating those loyal to our cause from those loyal to Logan's."

"I... never thought of it like that," Page mused aloud.

"Then we will wait?" Rose asked.

"We will wait," Walter agreed. "Three days from now we'll meet back here and head for Aurora. Until then, we'd best keep our heads down – no doubt Logan has men putting posters of us up around the city as we speak."

Page shooed them from the room after that, stating she needed rest after the day she had. Ben snorted but otherwise didn't respond. Rose had wandered over to the guards at the headquarters' perimeter and was talking to them seriously. Walter said he was going to the safe house the Resistance had set up to make sure the remainder of the Swift Brigade and any other "deserters" were safe.

Ben wanted to go with him, but he knew right now he would only worsen morale amongst the men. He stamped angrily to one of the corners of the headquarters where a makeshift room had been cordoned off behind some crates, two wooden pallets acting as beds.

Ben sat down on one of the beds, his elbows resting on his knees and his head in his hands. It couldn't have happened to a more brilliant person. Major Swift: blunt, to-the-point but good natured and a wicked sense of humour. A superior you could rely on (and they didn't come around often) and one you could be proud to say you died for.

But it wasn't to be. Because Swift died for them. And that hurt more than Ben could say.

Ben didn't notice someone had come around the piled crates until they sat beside him. He felt an arm go around his shoulder and he leant into Rose's embrace (he would know those legs and boots anywhere).

"Do you... want to talk?" Rose asked hesitantly. "I know you and the Major were close."

Ben let out a little huff of laughter. "He saved my life. Both literally and metaphorically. He was the reason I joined the army. And now he's gone." Ben snorted. "And here I am in the corner of a sewers moping about it."

"What do you think he would say? Right now?"

"Something like, "Chin up, Benjamin, there's work to be done – chop-chop!" But of course," Ben said with a sigh, "we've got to wait, haven't we."

"I'm sorry," Rose said.

"No, no, it makes sense. I'm just being an idiot – as usual. Ignore me."

Rose poked Ben in the ribs. "You are _not_ ," she said punctuating the word with another poke, "an idiot. Believe me, I didn't really want to wait – I want to get this over quickly. But -,"

"You're thinking with your Queen head," Ben supplied, turning his head to kiss her shoulder. Rose poked him in the ribs again.

"I was thinking about what was best, not about what I wanted," she said.

Ben sat up and looked at Rose, but whatever he was going to say fled from his head when he saw her face. "Hopping hobbes, what the hell happened?"

Rose's hood had fallen back, allowing Ben to see the crooked bump at the bridge of her nose and a line of a scar across her face. She covered it self-consciously with her hands.

"Don't fight with a ceramic mask on," she said, running a finger over the broken lines of the scar that dotted under one eye, over the bridge of her nose and under the other.

"What happened?" Ben asked again, moving her hands out of the way and cupping her face, gently running his thumbs over the edges of the scars.

"We were fighting in a sort of arena for Reaver's entertainment," Rose said. "Apparently he had been expecting us. In any other circumstances it would have been sort of fun I guess. Hollow men, hobbes, mercenaries – nothing I couldn't handle. I wanted to take that bloody hat and mask off before we started, but Page told me to keep it on lest Reaver recognise me and shoot me on the spot. A mercenary whalloped me on the head and the hat pushed down on the mask which broke my nose and cut my face," she said. "I had a healing potion on me, but I didn't get the opportunity to straighten my nose out before I healed it."

"And earlier when you drank a potion?"

"I was planning on re-breaking it and trying to sort it out. In the end I just settled with getting the scars to heal." Rose reached up and prodded the slight lump at the top of her nose. "How does it look?" she asked.

Ben leant in to get a closer look. "Well, I don't profess to be an expert on broken noses – though I've had my fair share," he added, rubbing a ridge in his own nose, "it looks like it's healed. You've not got any swelling around here or your eyes and -,"

"No," Rose said, "I meant how does it _look_? How do _I_ look?"

Ben smiled, and ran his thumb over the scar and the ridge in her nose. "You look beautiful. Dangerous, but beautiful."

Rose smiled, and it was like sunshine breaking through the clouds. "Dangerous? What kind of dangerous?" she said.

Ben snorted with laughter. "I call her beautiful and she likes being called dangerous better. What was it the other day we were saying about strange and troubled?"

Ben froze suddenly as he say those words, remembering who it was who had first said them. " _Shit_ ," he swore, his hands dropping away from Rose's face and turning his head away from her, his eyes burning and throat tight.

Rose made a sympathetic noise and rubbed his arm soothingly. She stood up suddenly and dragged the other pallet across the floor. "Lift your feet up," she instructed.

Ben did as he was told and lay on his pallet. She pushed the two together and lay beside him. She pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead, each eyelid, his nose and then his lips before shifting up the pallet slightly to hold him, his head tucked under her chin and resting on her chest.

"Tell me about him," she said. Ben felt and heard her voice under his ear as she spoke and sighed into her cleavage.

"You knew him," Ben said, a mite sulkily.

"But not like _you_ knew him." Ben smiled a little at that and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I met Major Swift in Bowerstone, nearly four years ago. I was just ending my career as an accidental pirate, but I appeared to have offended my employer in the process since he saw fit to have a number of my crewmates chase me through the streets after my head..."

As Ben went through a number of tales of his adventures with Major Swift, he felt grief but not pain. He realised then why Rose had suggested he talk – by remembering and sharing the times he had with the Major he was celebrating the life he had rather than just seething over how he died. Rose for her part just listened, running her fingers soothingly through his hair and occasionally laughing with him.

He didn't know when he fell asleep, but he awoke some time later still wrapped in her arms. She was asleep now as well, her lips parted as she breathed deeply, her face soft and relaxed. Ben carefully shifted them both so it was her in his arms (since that was the way it was supposed to be) and watched her sleep for a while. Yes, they had lost Swift, and it was going to be hard without him, but all was not lost.

Like Swift, she was a superior you could rely on. And one he would be proud to die for.

x.x.x

 _Hope Ben wasn't too OOC here, but I think with Swiftie going the way he did some slight OOC-ness was permissible._

 _Please review! Reviews make me happy :D And if you login/register to review I will reply!_


	8. Mortar and Mourning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Back to a drabble again just to say thank you soooooo much for the reviews (they've really made my weekend!) and I'll reply to them all (and write a proper new chapter) as soon as I can... but I've got two exams this week and muchos muchos work to do, so as you can imagine, Ben and Rose have had to go on the back boiler :(_

_Back to a drabble again just to say thank you soooooo much for the reviews (they've really made my weekend!) and I'll reply to them all (and write a proper new chapter) as soon as I can... but I've got two exams this week and muchos muchos work to do, so as you can imagine, Ben and Rose have had to go on the back boiler :(_

 _Random interlude written for the purposes of attaching my message of absence lol – as a result, it doesn't really fit into the canon of the overall fic, but could if you wanted it to._

x.x.x

As dates went, Ben could have thought have better locations.

Admittedly, fighting hobbes at her side had been strangely fun and definitely made up for the less-than-desirable surroundings but still...

"Why are we here again?"

"I want to show you something," she said.

"So it's not some romantic travel-down-memory lane where we go back to where we first met?"

He couldn't see her face but he knew she had just rolled her eyes. Being able to make her do that was a talent of his.

Mourningwood Fort had crumbled a lot in the time he'd been away from it. He held Rose's hand as she led him through the broken gates and up the stairs.

"No covering of my eyes for the final surprise?"

"And have to try and guide you up the steps? Not likely."

When she reached the mortar, she stopped and looked up at the sky. "We're a little early," she commented, leaning against one of the high walls of the battlements.

"Early?" Ben said. "You're not proposing we wait until nightfall?"

"Not nightfall so much as dusk, but yes."

"Rose, we're in _Mourningwood_."

"I am aware."

Ben raised an eyebrow. "I think that mask cracked your head harder than you think."

Rose flushed and covered the bump in her nose self-consciously. "Shush you."

Ben stepped forward and tugged her hand down from her face, kissing her nose affectionately. He pressed his forehead against hers and grinned cheekily. "Well, if we've got to wait for a bit I can think of something to pass the time," he said, tilting his head to kiss her.

Up to now they had only had been sneaking kisses in the brief interludes between his sneaking about Bowerstone and her saving the world (person by person it seemed sometimes) - which was all well and good, but there was always that underlying fear that one day Walter would round the corner.

And that thought was never thrilling, it was downright terrifying.

Confident, however, that Walter was _not_ going to be in Mourningwood today, Ben didn't hold back. He relished every small gasp and giggle, the feel of her tongue teasing his and his lips against hers, swearing never to forget it.

He started as a flock of crows cawed overhead and pulled a face as Rose laughed at him. "Shut up – it was you that dragged me back to this bloody place," he said, kissing her hard as "punishment".

" _Ahem_."

Ben really did jump this time. Two sets of laughter followed his reaction and he turned to find the source of the second voice.

"What the - ?" he said, looking around wildly. "Who's there?"

There was the sound of a throat being cleared again, and a rather moist sounding sniff. "Over here, sir. Sorry for interrupting, like, I didn't realise the Princess was bringing company."

Ben looked in shock over to the mortar where Private Jammy – a ghostly and partially see-through Jammy – was standing. He saluted proudly and Ben struggled to find his voice.

"At... at ease, soldier," he said at last. "What are you _doing_ here?"

"Hollow men don't rest sir, and I thought well – why should I?"

Ben looked in wonder at Jammy who was prepping the mortar for its first shot of the evening, marvelling at the dedication that transcended death. "...Been difficult trying to find a like-minded soul to help with the mortar," he was saying. "But Miss Rose here – begging your pardon, Princess Rose -,"

"Just Rose is fine, Jammy," Rose said with a smile. Jammy flushed.

"...yes, well, Miss Rose was passing through Mourningwood when she came up to have a kip in the barracks..."

"You slept _here_?" Ben said. Rose shrugged.

"It was dry," she said by way of explanation.

"...spotted me hanging around up here trying to do a two man job and offered to lend a hand."

"You slept," Ben said, "in here?"

"With all due respect, sir," Jammy said with another salute, "I keep a good watch, dead or not."

Ben had to smile at that. "And for that I'm grateful, Jammy."

There was the sound of wisps in the air and Jammy looked out over the battlements. "Ay up!" he shouted. "We've got company!"

Ben couldn't help but grin as he watched Jammy and Rose lay into the legion below. Clearly this weekly appointment of theirs was keeping the numbers down and manageable, since none of them made it to the gates of the Fort.

"Is it true?" Jammy asked some time later, all the hollow men defeated. Ben was sat on a pile of crates, Rose in his lap as Jammy gave the mortar the once over. "About Major Swift?"

Ben swallowed the lump in his throat and Rose answered for him. "It's true," she said.

Jammy tutted sadly. "Bad way to go," he said.

"You've not seen him about your travels then, Jammy?" Ben asked. The private shook his head.

"'Fraid not, sir. You know ole Swiftie – he's not the type to hang around. He'd've gone on to pastures new."

"And you?" Ben asked. "Will you be going anytime soon?"

Jammy shrugged. "Maybe. Will see how many hollow men I can take down with me though first, eh?"

Ben grinned. "Jammiest soldier that their ever was," he said.

"724 wounds, one death and still going, sir!" he said.

Ben and Rose tramped home through the mud as the sun started to rise. Ben stopped Rose with a tug of her hand as they got to the entrance of the sewers.

"Why did you bring me here?" he asked her. Her face fell suddenly.

"Was it not a good idea?"

"No!" Ben said. "No, I had... a great time. In a strange and troubled way," he added with a smirk. Rose smiled in relief – though "strange and troubled" did seem to be becoming the defining characteristic of their relationship. "But I was just curious as to why."

Rose sighed and wrapped her arms around Ben's waist. "I don't rightly know," she admitted. "You just had that face on and I thought you could have done with a break. I'd been meaning to take you see Jammy for weeks, there just never seemed the time, but since we had a few days to kill... bit of fresh air, sunshine and starlight..."

"...smashing hollow men to bits..."

"That too," she admitted with a grin. "Not the best location for a breakaway but it did the trick... didn't it?"

Ben grinned and kissed her, his arms going around her and pulling her close. "It most certainly did."

"Good," she said, nuzzling his chest. She sighed and kissed him again, more slowly. "Besides, it was good to kiss you without fear of Walter seeing us."

"Thank the Light, that wasn't just me then!" Ben said with a laugh. Rose took his hand and they wandered into the dank of the sewers, back towards Industrial.

"Wait..." Ben said after a moment. "Why are you so scared of Walter finding out?"

Rose let out a long breath. "You should have seen him when he first caught me and Elliot! I thought he was going to..." Rose trailed off and shook her head. "No, no matter."

"What? You thought he was going to what?"

"No, no, nothing! Elliot's still alive after all, so it obviously wasn't as bad as I thought."

"Rose..." Ben said worriedly.

Rose patted Ben's hand soothingly. "We'll be fine. No scary Walter for us. We'll just have to keep being sneaky."

Ben laughed tremulously. "'Course," he said weakly. "Keep being sneaky. Really sneaky..."

After all, death by Walter was not the way he envisioned dying for his Princess.

x.x.x

 _Ehhhhh... got long... and canon XD Silly muses._

 _Ah well. Hope you liked it – will be doing the dock fight for the next chapter, but that probably won't be 'til the weekend *shakes fists at exams*._

 _Will reply to all reviews at the weekend too, so don't think I don't love you, I do, I do :D :D_


	9. To Aurora

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Thank you all so much for the good luck for my exams! They both went really well, and though I still have much to do I had to get a chapter out to you guys as a sort of thank you – I really appreciate the positive feedback I've been getting, it's really made me smile! :D_

_Thank you all so much for the good luck for my exams! They both went really well, and though I still have much to do I had to get a chapter out to you guys as a sort of thank you – I really appreciate the positive feedback I've been getting, it's really made me smile! :D_

 _Apologies for the delay, but I did win NaNoWriMo this year :D so the hiatus was a little justified. Hoping to update once a week now, since Uni is hotting up and I'm mega busy :)_

 _Hope you like this chapter :D_

 _x.x.x.x_

Ben didn't like the look on Page's face when they went to reconvene in the Rebel's War Room.

"You," she said to Ben aggressively, "go and wait by the sewer exit. I need to speak to the Princess."

Ben looked quizzically at Rose, who shrugged. He sighed and bowed extravagantly to Page. "As my lady wishes," he said.

Page tutted and rolled her eyes, and Rose coughed to disguise her bubble of laughter. The door swung shut behind them and Ben sighed, meandering lazily towards the sewer exit.

He was loitering by the tunnel opening for a while, revelling in the not-exactly-fresh-but-certainly-fresher air that was wafting through the tunnels from the back alleys of Industrial. Vicious steps through the puddles alerted him to an approaching presence and he turned to see Rose stamping towards him with a face like thunder.

"Uh oh," he said. "I take it Page had bad news?"

"No!"

Ben looked confused. "But -," he started.

"Page _thought_ it was bad news. She also relished in blaming me for it. When in actuality what has happened is a good thing and she just was blaming me because she had to work a little to accommodate it."

Ben blinked. "Still lost," he admitted.

Rose sighed. "Did I mention that we should wait for today to allow dissent to build in the ranks?"

"Yes you did. We all heard it and thought it was a good idea. Has Page had second thoughts?"

"Not exactly. Turns out she didn't think it would work and she was just humouring me because she didn't want me going into battle if I was "distracted."" Rose snorted.

"But it did work?"

"The safehouse is full to bursting with army deserters. Page was beside herself not knowing what to do with them. So I've told her to make arrangements to smuggle them out of the city to Brightwall and then the Mistpeaks. They can find shelter with the town or the Dwellers until we're ready to go."

Ben shook her head and started to lead the way out of the sewers. "Page is getting twitchy," he said. "If anything I'd say she was the one most distracted by the Major's death."

"No, it's not that," Rose said with a sad sigh. "Though it may be part of it. I think she's angry that we didn't manage to get Reaver. She lost a lot of good men in that operation, but she's barely had time to breathe or to grieve." Rose looked sheepish. "I think she was a bit miffed when we buggered off for a break without her and left her here with the fall out."

Ben rolled his eyes. "She was the one who said "Stay out of my way and let me work, dolt.""

"I think that was just directed at _you_."

"Oh..."

Rose giggled and half jogged a few steps to catch up with Ben and match his pace. "We need to get to the far end of the dock," he said, now all business, "so probably best not to shoot until we have to."

"Righto."

They rounded the corner to the gates where a Royal Guard stood on watch. "Leave the talking to me," Ben said as they scaled the stairs, "I have an idea."

Rose raised an eyebrow and said nothing, her hand briefly checking that her pistol was ready to fire.

"Stop," the guard called out grumpily. "Only Royal Guard allowed."

"I know, but can I just say, wow, you look so _stylish_ , you know, with the helmets and everything," Ben started. Rose covered up her laughter with a cough. "Me and my friend were wondering if we could join you, because, I mean, you just make us ordinary soldiers feel so inadequate."

Rose nodded enthusiastically to match Ben's statements, but the guard wasn't convinced.

"Leave," the guard asserted in what he apparently thought was an intimidating voice.

"Ohhh come on!" Ben said, "Don't you have any leaflets or application forms we could take with us? If we could just get inside and get your autographs. We are huge fans!"

"Leave or we will be forced to terminate you!"

Rose couldn't help it any longer. She let out a peal of laughter and Ben smirked as he glanced at her. "Ooooh, see?" he said. "Even their vocabulary is stylish," he added, pulling out his pistol and shooting the guard.

The gates flew open as the guards inside reacted to the commotion. "Okay," Ben said, pulling out his rifle, "I admit it. I didn't really have an idea."

"You don't say?" Rose said in mock surprise as she rolled to avoid the attacks of the guards. She got to her feet and dispatched three men with her pistol before diving into the fray, her sword swinging in a smooth arc and cutting two other men down. A third held his sword up, looking for an opening, which she wasn't about to give him. She pitched forward onto one hand and sheathed her sword with the other as she twisted. Now on both hands she pushed backwards, springing onto the shocked guard's shoulders.

Ben, who had been picking off the stragglers in the distance, watched in open surprise as Rose gripped the man's head between her legs and _twisted_. He should have winced at the sound of the man's neck cracking, but his only focus was on her as she lightly hopped to the floor as the dead man pitched forward.

"How...?" he started. "That was..." Ben had no words, and was strangely hot under the collar.

Rose grinned and raised her leg to slap her thigh. "At least he died happy," she said with a laugh.

Ben swallowed and nodded mutely. "Yes, well..." he said weakly. "Let's... get going shall we?"

To say Rose had improved in the scant months since they first met was an understatement. She was impressive when she arrived at the fort, but her sword attacks were textbook and her main awe-inspiring skills were her magic, her strength and her speed. Now she was improvising successfully and becoming quite the lethal showman. Ben almost regretted that he had to pay attention when fighting if she was going to pull off moves like that.

"We'll have to cut through the warehouse," Ben said. "Careful. The place is crawling with the sods."

Rose pulled out her rifle when they spotted movement in the warehouse and she went to took aim. Ben's hand suddenly stopped her when he spotted a number of familiar looking barrels.

"Be careful with those barrels!" he said urgently in Rose's ear. "They're full of gunpowder."

Rose felt a grin form and Ben's face fell. "Oh no," he said.

"Oh no, what?" she asked innocently, in stark contrast to her expression, her eyes looking down her rifle.

"That _look_ you've got."

Rose glanced sideways at Ben and grinned. She pulled the trigger and hit the barrel on the stairwell. The explosion sent a number of the mercenaries flying and she aimed for the second barrel in the warehouse.

"I said be careful!"

"I am!" she said with a snicker. The second explosion thinned their enemies down some more and Ben grudgingly had to admit the tactical advantages of her insanity. "Now we can go," she said brightly leading the way up the stairs and picking off the remaining sods with her pistol.

They ran out of the warehouse to the waterfront, where Page and Walter's distractions finally kicked in. The explosion blew away half the machinery at the dock's edge, the metal crane toppling onto a nearby container ship, causing a domino effect to take place in the harbour. Ben and Rose paused to admire the view for a moment, fire and smoke rising into the night sky.

"Wow," Ben said, turning back to the streets towards the other side of the docks, "that should keep the bastards occupied. Come on. The way to the ships should be clear."

As with apparently most things in his life, however, nothing went to plan. "Or... maybe not," he said as a fresh wave of soldiers bore down upon them.

Rose sighed as she pulled out her pistol, using her knowledge of the gunpowder barrels to good effect. There was a little less enthusiasm with this wave, and Ben could almost see the death toll of this expedition playing on her mind. There would undoubtedly be significant civilian casualties in those explosions. Mercenaries, she was happy to engage; soldiers, she only worried briefly about but civilians were to be avoided at all costs.

The last of the soldiers fell and Ben let out a long sigh, slinging his rifle onto his back. His hand went to his pistol when he heard more footsteps coming out of the nearby warehouse but relaxed when he saw the friendly face.

"Walter! What kept you?"

"We have to hurry," the old general said, ignoring the question. "They're going to be following us after all!"

"Lovely," Rose said dryly. Ben snorted.

"What about Page?"

"She's staying behind. Someone needs to organise things here. Now, come on!"

Walter headed to the pier and nudged the wooden boat with his foot. "Well, it's not much but at least it floats. That's what counts."

"Or, you know," Ben mused aloud, "we could take this one and then not drown as soon as we leave port." He waved his hand in the direction of a sumptuous looking steamship bearing the Reaver Industries standard.

"Even better," Walter agreed with a laugh, leading the way onto the gangplank.

Ben gestured Rose to go ahead of him and made an extravagant bow as she stepped onto the bow. She let out a snort of laughter and took the opportunity to whack him upside the head.

"Fool," she said.

"Ow!"

"I didn't hit you that hard!"

"This is abuse this is," he said, walking onto the boat and pulling the gangplank onto the deck. "I don't know who I can report to but when I find out I'll..." Ben trailed off when he spotted a movement out of the corner of his eye. A soldier was running from the barracks, a rifle in his hand. The sound a shot ran out and Ben moved without even thinking.

"Rose!" he shouted. "Get down!"

He jumped to her side and shielded her, intending to pull them both out of the bullet's range but he wasn't quite fast enough. He hissed as the bullet grazed his shoulder, the wound burning and blood soaking through his uniform.

"Ben!" Rose cried in concern. She pulled him close and set him gently but quickly down onto the floor, before straightening and eyeing their assailant with a murderous glare. She summoned her Will and flicked her wrist, hitting the soldier with a ball of flame.

Stubbornly, Ben was trying to get to his feet, the initial shock wearing off slightly. "I need to get to the wheel," he said through gritted teeth, standing on his shaky legs. "S'not like either of you will be able to drive this thing."

"I'll get the wheel," Walter said. At Ben's quizzical look, the old general shrugged. "You're not the only one with a colourful history, Captain Finn. Rose, get him below and see to that wound. Jasper will give you instructions."

"Jasper?" Ben asked as Rose as she lifted his uninjured arm and slung it over her shoulders. "What is he talking about?"

"It's complicated," Rose said. "Jasper is a friend, one of my father's old friends. He's currently staying in the Sanctuary."

"But he's not here," Ben said, confused.

"No, but he's there, and I have this," she said, pulling a chain from around her next. Dangling off the chain was a small disc with the bearing the guild seal. "It allows us to communicate."

"So... he's in your head?"

"In a manner of speaking."

"That... is rather disturbing."

"Really?" Rose guided Ben to one of the dining chairs in the captain's quarters and set about lighting the lamps set into the walls, throwing small flames from her gauntlets to the racks on the walls. The dining room was well furnished, with a beautiful table at its centre and cabinets lined across the walls. Rose went to the liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle of vodka and a bottle of whiskey, before riffling in her pack for her first aid kit.

"Really really," Ben said, wincing as he moved his arm. "Does he know... what you're thinking?"

"What I'm...? No!" Rose said with a small laugh, setting out what she needed on the table and taking the scissors to Ben's shirt. "No, it's just communication. He talks into the counterpart back in the Sanctuary, and I hear him in my head. That's all."

"Oh," Ben said with a little sigh of relief. "So he doesn't know about...?"

Rose bent to place a small kiss to Ben's cheek. "He does, but that's through his own perceptive skills." She moved to put another kiss gently on his lips and then set to work.

Rose unscrewed the lids on the bottles of alcohol and handed Ben the bottle of whiskey. "Drink that," she instructed.

Ben took a hearty swig and hummed appreciatively. "Not bad," he said. "Where'd you get it?"

"This is Reaver's cruise ship, by the looks of things," Rose said. "I'll know for certain if I dare venture into the bedroom... if there's pictures of him up everywhere then it's definitely his. Drink up," she added. "And brace yourself. This will sting a bit."

She poured the vodka over the wound and Ben yelped. "A bit?" he said. "Understatement of the decade or _what_?"

"Then maybe it'll teach you not to do that again!" Rose said grumpily. She reached for a needle and thread from her first aid kit and summoned a flame from her gauntlet to heat the metal through to disinfect it.

Ben hissed and took another comforting swift of whiskey from the bottle, bracing his injured arm on his knees. "What was I supposed to do, just let you get shot?"

"Yes!" Rose said as she started stitching the graze on Ben's shoulder.

"I know you're a Hero, but you're not invincible."

"No, but I do heal faster than normal." She snipped off the excess thread and lifted Ben's arm so she could bandage it. "Don't read me wrong, I'm no fan of pain, but..." She sighed and tied the bandage together. "Just don't do it again."

Ben said nothing more on the matter, not wanting to argue, and relaxed in the chair occasionally drinking from the bottle of whiskey. Rose packed up her first aid kit and tucked it back into her pack and wandered around the dining room, peeking into some of the drawers and cabinets.

Ben watched her with a fond smile on his face as she riffled through Reaver's belongings. She did a circuit of the room and then approached the door that had the Industries logo inlaid in gold in the wood. She pushed the door open and vanished inside.

Ben raised an eyebrow when he heard her start giggling. "What?"

There was no reply, only more giggling, followed by a gasp and then outright laughter. Ben put the bottle onto the dining table and dashed over to the side room.

Reaver's bedroom was lined with pictures of himself in various guises, but that wasn't what Rose was giggling at. She was riffling through a large book that was set on the dresser that was full of rather lewd pictures. She was blushing, and he could sort of see why.

"Should I be jealous?" he said.

"Oh!" Rose said, giggling some more. He expected her to shut the book in embarrassment... but as always with her, he should have expected the unexpected. She opened the book and moved aside to show. "I was just wondering whether that's actually physically possible. And look at her face! I hope I don't look like that whenever I'm with a partner. Then again, I think if my back was bent that far backwards I'd probably make that face too. I know I'm flexible but... hey!"

Ben, who hadn't been looking at the horrific one that she had been talking about but had been looking at the _much_ more appealing one on the opposite page, pushed the book shut with a snap and pushed Rose against the dresser.

"Are you trying to drive me insane?" he said. "Bloody woman... I don't think you realise _quite_ how hard it is to resist you at the best of times, let alone when you're..." He couldn't find the words, so just jerked his head to indicate the book that was lying on the dresser.

Rose smirked and squirmed in his grip. "Hard to resist me?" she said , moving her leg _just so_ , causing him to take a sharp breath. "Well, hard is certainly the word for it..."

"...and I was just recovering from when you said that bloke had died happy..."

Rose laughed. "You mean that really does things for you?"

"Seeing you in battle full stop _does_ things for me."

Rose grinned and leant in to kiss him, pushing him backwards onto the kingsize bed, dropping her pack onto the floor and reaching into the inside pocket of her jacket. When she produced the slim square packet, Ben felt his heart hammering in his chest and felt that he ought to voice all his reasonable objections all at once before desire got the better of him.

"Walter's just upstairs -,"

"And occupied with the wheel."

"- We might be being followed!"

"I think Page's explosives will have bought us at least enough time for a... breather," Rose said with a smirk.

"...we're in Reaver's bed..." Ben said looking at the duvet beneath him.

Rose faltered slightly at the thought, but then had a revelation. "You had no objection when we were in the Cock and Crown," she said, "and I daresay similar things have happened in those beds – but the linens won't have been cleaned properly afterwards."

"Ew..."

"...besides, this is Reaver's room," Rose said, shedding her jacket and advancing on Ben. "If Walter does come down here later when you're well enough the take over the helm, it's the perfect excuse for why it smells like -,"

Ben cut her off with a growl and a fierce kiss, rolling over so he was above her, ignoring the twinge in his shoulder. "Fine," he said. "You've twisted my arm, you crazy woman."

"And how difficult it was too," she replied with a giggle.

x.x.x.x.x

 _Ehehehehe... I refrained from too many details lest I offend... though if there is a demand, I may attempt a more risqué interlude, though I am somewhat out of practice with the whole dirty-writings._

 _Hope this chapter was a little worth the wait. Will update next week, all being well :D_

 _Please review! :D_


	10. Interlude: A Butler's Tale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _I thought about doing this as a separate story (and I might, since this is becoming so Ben/Rose centric) but for now here is an interlude. I did say I was going to do lots of characters after all... I just got distracted by the awesomeness of Ben XD_

_I thought about doing this as a separate story (and I might, since this is becoming so Ben/Rose centric) but for now here is an interlude. I did say I was going to do lots of characters after all... I just got distracted by the awesomeness of Ben XD_

 _Though if lots of you object to the random interludes of other characters, I'll move it all to a separate story to keep it out of the way – it's just a bit easier for me to have it all in one spot, that's all :)_

 _Anyway, onwards – because Jasper needs some love too!_

 _NB: I mentioned in the last chapter that Rose had the guild seal as a pendant around her neck. I'm mentioning it again in this – I think the seal has multi-dimensional properties like the Sanctuary and as a result can change its size to suit. Otherwise Rose would be carrying around a metal disc the size of plate everywhere, which is not what you want XD_

x.x.x.x

Jasper was not a religious man, but he couldn't help but pray to the Light that Walter knew what he was doing.

He wouldn't deny it – he was a little hurt that his old friend had kept in the dark for so long. Clearly Walter had some bigger plan in mind that he wasn't willing to divulge, even when they were fleeing the castle. When they arrived at the Sanctuary, Jasper had intended to try and get some answers (thinking perhaps Walter had been reluctant to talk in an unsecure location) but then he got distracted by the King's note and journal (and the obscene amount of dust about the place) and before he knew it, Walter and Rose were spirited away to the Mistpeaks.

Jasper set the duster aside and sighed as he sank into a chair by the map, pausing with his hand on the journal's cover. He recalled Sparrow always carrying the book with him wherever they went, but never thought to ask what was in it (friend though he was, Jasper knew his place, and prying was improper). Sat in the now clean Sanctuary, suddenly many of the King's mysterious disappearances were all explained.

Part of him regretted that he was waiting in the Sanctuary while Walter and Rose were traversing Albion – but he knew, with the years having been rather unkind to him, that he would just slow them down. At least with the Guild Seal he wasn't being entirely useless.

The butler was, believe it or not, no stranger to adventuring. True, he was never the sort that thrived on the frontlines like Walter or Sparrow, but he was more than familiar with the less-than-savoury results of battle. Even Hero's weren't invincible after all, and Jasper was always on hand with the needle, thread and bandages to assist with the patching up.

Walter made a terrible patient when he was forced to sit still, always grumbling and griping, making sarcastic comments about Jasper being a torturer more than a healer and generally being an earache. The jibes were never meant seriously, and Jasper learnt to work with the running commentary – it became a sort of pain-gauge for Jasper to read. If Walter was being quiet, then something was definitely amiss.

Sparrow, on the other hand, was much more stubborn about his injuries. Secretive and proud, in the early days neither Walter nor Jasper would ever really notice something was wrong until the King was nigh-on unconscious. Jasper learnt to read Sparrow eventually, and was quick to corner His Majesty and inflict his healing skills on him before whatever the injury was got out of hand.

When it came to pain, Rose was much the same as Sparrow, despite never really being able to learn any habits or mannerisms off the old King (she was only nine when he died after all). Luckily, like her father, Jasper learnt to read her forced expressions and was always on hand to deal with any cuts and bruises sustained in training. They may not have been as dramatic as a sword wound, but as far as he was concerned they were no less important.

It was when she stumbled in shortly after her victory over Saker that he was immensely glad of this magical dimension, his medical skills and his ability to read Rose's face. She stumbled in from the portal, one hand at the guild seal pendant at her throat and her arm clutching her ribs. Her mercenary disguise was torn and bloody, and one sleeve had all but been burnt clean off, her skin underneath red and blistered.

"Light preserve me!" Jasper swore. "What happened?"

"Just a few mercenaries, Jasper," she replied with a weak smile. "Nothing to worry about."

"With all due respect, madam, I heartily disagree with that statement," he said. "Now, if you would sit down, I'll see what provisions we have."

This was a lot more than cuts and bruises. Rose said nothing as Jasper went to work – she had at least two cracked ribs, her left arm was badly burnt, a sword slash across her back and half a dozen gunshot wounds that were thankfully nowhere vital. Patched up and dressed in clean pyjamas, Jasper guided Rose to the small bed that was tucked away in the corner of the sanctuary.

"Jasper?" Rose said sleepily as he tucked the blanket around her.

"Yes, madam?"

"Thank you."

Jasper smiled a little at that –she was more like her father than she would ever know. "You're more than welcome, madam." He set about dimming the gas lamps that lined the walls around her, pausing when her voice rose up from the corner again.

"Jasper?"

"Yes, madam?"

Rose hesitated before continuing. "Can you not tell Walter? Please? I don't want him to know that... if he finds out that..." Rose huffed as she forced the words past her lips, not wanting to admit it out loud but not having much choice. "If he knows that I got hurt he'll only get all guilty. You know how he gets."

Jasper hummed softly to himself. Yes, he knew how Walter got sometimes – protective to a fault, sick with worry anytime she got ill or hurt herself (there was one time, when she was twelve, she fell out of a tree and broke her arm while he was supposed to be minding her – and he barely let her do anything strenuous for more than a month), not to mention how he was whenever she went off with young Elliot. But Jasper couldn't help but feel that this was, in part, his fault – somehow, in between planning a rebellion and finding out Rose was a Hero, Walter had forgotten that she was a young woman with very little knowledge of the world, let alone battle. It also seemed that he had forgotten that Hero's are not invincible. Personally, he thought that Walter could do with the reminder but...

"Please, Jasper," Rose implored.

The old butler let out a long sigh. "As you wish, madam."

x.x.x.x

 _Yay, for randomness! I nearly started a whole new story called "A Butler's Tale" but I think I've got enough on my plate, so I condensed what was really pestering me into this ehehe._

 _May write a short NSFW interlude to put up sometime midweek, and then update the chapter next Sunday :)_

 _Hope you're all well, all the best_

 _~paa xx_


	11. Below Deck NSFW

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **WARNING: This chapter contains scenes of somewhat graphic nature and thus should not be read but those who are easily offended by sexual encounters. Erotic scenes aren't for everyone after all. But please don't complain about the chapter content if you don't like it (unless, of course, you object to the quality) because I have warned you.**

**WARNING: This chapter contains scenes of somewhat graphic nature and thus should not be read but those who are easily offended by sexual encounters. Erotic scenes aren't for everyone after all. But please don't complain about the chapter content if you don't like it (unless, of course, you object to the quality) because I have warned you.**

ADDENDUM: Also, if you haven't already guessed, this is Not Safe For Work.

 _Okay, so this didn't get posted midweek as planned... but I still did it! Apologies if it's not brilliant, I'm a bit out of practice with the whole mature-scene writing malarkey._

 _I'll try for another update next weekend, if not before. Hope you're all well x_

x.x.x.x

Thinking about why he liked her so much probably wasn't the best thing to be doing while he was kissing her, his hands under her jersey vest and her breast band, but he couldn't help it.

She was pretty, true, but Ben had seen (and bedded) many beautiful women before. He had thought that perhaps it was her Hero blood for a while – he had read somewhere that Hero's were naturally alluring and experts of seduction just by being who they were, but then he also may have read that in one of the more questionable books in the Brightwall Academy...

Rose's sudden giggle brought his wandering mind to attention (his hands and lips having been moving of their own accord). He smirked slightly as he looked at her in confusion. "What?" he asked.

"I may be... a little ticklish," she said, blushing. She grinned at him sheepishly and Ben grinned back, deliberately moving his hands and fingers lightly over her ribs. She yelped and squirmed under his touch, her hands going to his arms. "Stop!" she pleaded through her laughter.

"Really?" Ben asked. He moved his hands again and his grin grew wider as she laughed. "That doesn't sound like you want me to stop."

"Seriously!" she managed to say. She moved her legs around his hips and managed to flip them over, grabbing Ben's hands out from under her jersey and pinning them over his head. "You can tie me up and tickle me mercilessly some other time. Right now, I don't think we have the time for that and I _need_ you."

Ben swallowed, his desire lancing through him like hot fire at her action (never mind strong thighs, strong _everything_ ) and her words. Now straddling him, she pulled off her top and scarf and tossed them aside before reaching for the bands in her hair, shaking out her long brown tresses so they fell down her back and over her shoulders.

As tempting as it was to sit and watch, Ben was, if nothing else, a man of action, and that just wasn't his style. He sat up quickly so she shifted into his lap, his arms going around her back and deftly unfastening her breast band. She laughed as he tossed it aside, and cupped his chin with her hand to kiss him.

"You've done that before," she remarked sultrily. He grinned against her lips.

"True," he said. "Is that a problem?"

"Oh no," she said, rocking her hips experimentally and enjoying his sharp intake of breath. "In fact, it's nice to have someone able to manage it for a change. Elliot was all fingers and thumbs on the catches."

Ben growled at the mention of her former lover and dipped his head to nip her collarbone, his hips moving in time with hers as they ground together. Rose tilted her head back, giving him more access to nip and kiss, grateful for the red scarf she had to go with her mercenary jacket to cover up the evidence. His hands went to her breasts and weighed them both in his hands before cupping and squeezing them, his thumbs brushing over each of her nipples.

They had danced this dance of exploration before in what time they had stolen around Bowerstone, but it was more intense and urgent that those brief trysts, both of them eager to get to the main event that they hadn't had the opportunity to prepare for as they fought a revolution and endeavoured to hide their relationship from their comrades. Rose's hands went to Ben's shirt and unbuttoned it quickly, pushing it aside so she could run her hands down his chest. Ben, still lavishing attention on the column of her throat, his teeth and lips nipping at her rapid pulse, reluctantly let go of her breasts to shrug the shirt off his shoulders and back. He quickly put his arms back around her and drew her close, moving from her neck to her lips.

Rose gasped into his mouth as he resolutely took control. Once, she would have classified herself as having at least a moderate amount of experience in the bedroom (and if Ben's reactions to her mouth on him were any indication, she had acquired some skills) but since being with Ben she had to concede that she was not as well-versed as she initially thought.

She rocked her hips against him a little more insistently and smirked into their kiss as Ben let out a low moan. Just because she wasn't as accomplished as her Captain, it didn't mean she was about to let him have all the glory.

Rose moved her hands down her body and reached for the belt that wound around her kilt and unclasped it, removing her kilt in one swift motion. Ben leant backwards to look over her with an appreciative leer and ran one hand up her thigh, his fingers sneaking beneath her underwear. Rose gasped as his fingers teased the sensitive skin of her inner thighs, her eyes dark with lust.

"You're wearing too many clothes," she protested, tugging at his trousers.

"Maybe I just wanted to watch you for a moment," Ben said with a smirk. Rose gasped again as his fingers danced over her curls and closer to her centre.

"There's no time," she said breathlessly. "I need you. _Now_."

Ben smirked and lay backwards onto the bed, bring Rose with him in his arms before rolling them both over. He kissed his way down her body and sat back, hooking his fingers on her underwear. She lifted her hips as he slid them off and tossed them aside before gently grasping her ankle and pushing her legs apart. He kissed his way down her inner thigh and hooked the leg over his shoulder, pausing to look up at Rose. She was flustered, her chest heaving as shook with anticipation, his hot breath washing over her. Her hips bucked involuntarily and Ben reached out to hold them down to the mattress. He grinned and winked at her before closing the distance, smirking against her as he worked to draw out every kind of noise he could from her.

Rose writhed and whimpered, with one whimper turning into a moan as Ben slipped a finger inside her. A second soon joined the first, his mouth still working above his fingers. Rose came soon after with a small cry, her back arching before she flopped back against the mattress.

Ben smirked as he stepped back, using the time Rose was taking to catch her breath to step out of his trousers and underwear. Rose watched him with hungry eyes and he smirked, bringing his fingers to his mouth and licking them clean. Rose gave a shaky moan and spread her legs in invitation, her desire rising rapidly again.

"Ben," she pleaded. She pushed herself onto her elbows and reached across the mattress for the condom which had almost (almost) been forgotten about. She tore the packet open and rolled the rubber onto Ben's member, letting her hand grip him firmly and rub up and down. Ben let out a pleasured grunt and pushed Rose back, bracing himself on his arms as he leant over her. He kissed her fiercely then moved to her neck, moving one hand to squeeze one breast. She wriggled impatiently and bucked her hips, her sex brushing against his.

"Ben," she said again, this time into his ear, one hand snaking around his head and her fingers threading through his hair. " _Please_."

"As my Princess commands," he said with a smirk. He reached down between them to guide himself into her, both of them letting out moans of relief. Her legs went around his waist, encouraging him to move. He started slowly, but her gasps and moans of encouragement compelled him to go faster.

He threw restraint and worries about his stamina aside – now wasn't the time for an exceptional performance. They had both waited too long, dancing around each other when in the company of their companions and stealing moments when possible. It was clear now though that those moments weren't as satisfying as they both thought, and Ben wondered how he would keep his cool around her in the future.

Beneath him, Rose suddenly tensed, her hands gripping his arms as her back arched and she shuddered, crying out his name by his ear. He groaned in response, tilting his head to kiss her soundly. Her arms moved to circle his shoulders, one snaking up the back of his neck into his hair. She tightened her legs around his waist and he came with a moan as he was still kissing her.

Ben rolled off Rose onto his side on the mattress. She turned to face him, out of breath but smiling, leaning in to press her forehead to his. Ben shifted so they were pressed together, his hand running up and down her side.

"Mmm..." Rose said, stretching languidly, one of her hands running through his golden hair. "We're definitely doing that again."

"You'll get no argument from me," Ben said with a grin.

"Maybe when this is all finished we can have a weekend break," Rose mused. "No where in particular, just somewhere with a decent bed and no interruptions."

"When this is all finished?" Ben asked with a small laugh. "As in, when you become Queen?"

Rose pulled a face. "Buggery," she said. "I keep forgetting that part."

Ben raised an eyebrow. "You _do_ know what we're all doing, right?" he asked. "Fighting a revolution against your brother to put you on the throne?"

Rose sighed and sat up, her hand trailing down his body as she moved. She shifted off the bed and set about retrieving her clothes. Ben tried to concentrate on her words, but it was difficult when she was walking naked around the room.

"Yes," Rose said, "Well, the fighting my brother part, anyway. I'm doing that because it needs to be done, but I really don't want people to think that _I_ want this. I was never meant to rule – I always thought Walter was training me to do the same sort of job he does. Did," she amended, stooping to pick up her kilt. "You know, military advisor, army liaison and all that." She turned to look at Ben who was watching her avidly from the bed. "You're not even listening are you?"

"Hm?" he said. "Oh, I am. Not wanting to rule, doing it because you had to, thought you were going to do Walter's job," he repeated haphazardly. "Admittedly, you wandering around like that was _very_ distracting... did you know you left your boots on?"

Rose looked down at her leather clad feet and laughed. "No, I didn't actually. And clearly, you didn't either."

"Not at the time, I was distracted by... other things," he said with a smirk. "Which is unfortunate... because I'm _definitely_ appreciating what they add to the view."

Rose shook her head and resisted the urge to throw her underwear at Ben's smug face and pulled them on instead. "Come on," she said in reply to Ben's moan of disappointment, "Walter will probably be wondering what's happened to you. He doesn't really trust my healing skills either, so best you get dressed and show him you're alive."

x.x.x.x

 _Abrupt ending, but sleepy phoenix is sleepy and if I don't finish it and post it now I won't get round to it for ages... may amend and re-post in the future if my muses decide to be a tad more co-operative._


	12. Aurora

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _In case you haven't seen the note on my profile, I've been having to prioritise uni over the rest of my life, including fun (although, my uni work has a plus side that I find it interesting... but it's still hard D:). Hence the looooong gap between updates and the abandonment of my once a week, which is a bit naff cos I have loads of ideas for this I want to write – and your lovely lovely reviews which I've not had the chance to reply to yet T.T I am an author-fail, and for that I apologise._

_In case you haven't seen the note on my profile, I've been having to prioritise uni over the rest of my life, including fun (although, my uni work has a plus side that I find it interesting... but it's still hard D:). Hence the looooong gap between updates and the abandonment of my once a week, which is a bit naff cos I have loads of ideas for this I want to write – and your lovely lovely reviews which I've not had the chance to reply to yet T.T I am an author-fail, and for that I apologise._

 _Nevertheless, have an update for now :D and if I get around to writing another one, I'll try and get it up asap. Your reviews and support mean an awful lot, and res assured I am thinking of you, even when I am revising :3_

 _x.x.x_

Normally, the discovery of a city in a "dead" land would excite Ben – he was at heart an adventurer after all. But as he sat with his legs dangling over the peer, staring out over the sea, his clothes drying in the morning sun, Ben really couldn't find it in himself to give a crap.

She was gone. And there was nothing he could do.

Ben swore and kicked at the waves that were lapping below his feet, slumping forward so his elbows rested on his knees and his face in his hand. After asking around the docks for any sign of Walter or Rose, or where they could have washed up, he had given up. Their words of sympathy and looks of pity were more than he could bear.

There was some movement behind him, and Ben glanced over his shoulder to see a young woman standing over him. She was dressed in the typical Auroran cut of clothes, but instead of the mixture of dusky pinks and blues she was wearing cream and red with a gold sash. She walked about with her head uncovered, her dark hair wound in a loose flyaway braid.

"You'll want to be wary, stranger," she said warmly, her voice carrying a lilting accent. "Your fair skin will burn easily from every angle if you sit by there."

Ben shrugged. "It'll burn wherever I sit."

The young woman laughed lightly. "I suppose that's to be expected. When she's not cast in shadow, Aurora is a blazing fire. It is unfortunate you arrived now – had you come five years earlier, you'd have seen what we truly had to offer." She leant over the edge of the pier to retie the loosening knots of rope that held a small fishing ship to the post. "Your arrival has awoken the city," she said to break the silence that had fallen. "People are saying your survival from the storm is a good omen – that you are a lucky charm, so to speak."

Ben snorted. "I'm not the important one. The important one of our group is... is..." Ben struggled to get the words out, his hand waving haphazardly in the direction of the sea.

The Auroran hummed thoughtfully. "Do you truly believe that?"

"What?"

"You survived," she said with a shrug, as if the answer was obvious. "Do you not think that she would have as well?"

Ben was about to argue angrily, his grief making him irrational, when he dissected what the girl had just said. "How do you know she's a she?" he asked.

The woman smiled. "The look in your eyes, the slump of your shoulders... you're more than a man whose lost a friend, you're a man with a heart that's breaking. Something you've never had to battle before."

Ben bristled and swung his legs back onto the pier, scrambling to his feet. "I should go," he said hastily.

"Of course," she said, stepping lightly into the fishing boat she was tending.

Ben started to walk away quickly when her voice drifted over again.

"Don't abandon your heart, Ben Finn," she said. "Let the Temple guide your way. All will be right in your world if you search for the truth."

Ben didn't turn around as she spoke, but kept walking away from the annoying (but frighteningly perceptive) woman and her riddle-me-this advice. He had other things to contend with.

It wasn't until he was halfway into the city that he realised that he hadn't actually told her his name.

x.x.x.x

Ben, though tempted to hunt the mystery lady and her voodoo brain down, opted to act on her advice and headed to the Temple in Aurora. It was there he met Kalin, a formidable and inspiring woman. He told her his story, and mentioned his predicament, and thankfully she listened. It didn't take much persuasion to have her organise a search party. At the time, Ben thought nothing of how she seemed to have an idea of where to look – he just needed to find Rose, find Walter, and get their plans back on track.

The sun was high in sky as they headed into the desert and Ben was sweating in his uniform. In the interests of skin preservation though, he kept it on, but made a point of drinking lots of water as they trudged onwards.

A battle cry rang across the sand and Ben looked in its direction sharply. "That's Rose!" he said.

Kalin led the search part over the dunes, Ben hot on her heels. "This way!" she called. "She cannot be far."

She wasn't. As they crossed over the high dune, they saw her, fighting in a thick cloud of shadow. The shadow receded as they approached and Rose crumpled to the floor. Scout whined in concern and lay by her side, occasionally prodding her with his nose.

Ben felt his heart hammering in his throat as Kalin stooped over Rose to check her over. Scout barked in relief as he saw Ben, standing up to let Kalin do her work and gambolling around the soldier's legs. "She is still alive," the Auroran said. "The other cannot be far away."

Ben let out a sigh of relief as Rose's eyes fluttered open. "Taking a nap in the sun?" he joked to cover his terror. "Typical royalty. You had me worried there for a while."

"Walter?" Rose croaked, her eyes open but not seeing. Ben reached down for her hand and gave it a quick reassuring squeeze.

"Don't worry, we'll find him. You just sit tight, princess."

x.x.x.x

Ben was hovering between the two beds in the temple's infirmary. "Can you help them?" he asked worriedly as he paced.

"The young one will be fine," an old healer said as she wandered over, herbs in her hands. "She is strong. We need to tend to the older one at once."

Ben swore under his breath as he looked at the old soldier breathing shallowly nearby. "Hang in there, Walter."

He was ushered out of the way by another healer but refused to leave (especially seeing as Scout was allowed to stay and sit by her bedside which hardly seemed fair). As a compromise, Kalin requested that he sit in the corner out of their way – that way he was in the room to monitor their progress but not underfoot. Eventually, despite his worry and his fear for Rose and his friend, he fell into a fitful slumber.

When Ben awoke, he thought he was dreaming. He heard Scout's happy woof and the scrap of claws on stone as he scrambled to his feet. Then, impossibly, a voice – dry and cracked with sleep and exhaustion, but _her_ voice...

"Hey boy."

Ben's eyes snapped open and he scrambled to his feet. Kalin was already at Rose's bedside, and he hung back to let the Auroran do the explaining. He tried to get his relief under control (soldiers most certainly did not cry, even in dramatic situations like this – and his eyes were only burning and watery because of the sand from the desert, thank you very much!)

"You are awake. Good. My name is Kalin and you are in the City of Aurora. I have much to tell you."

Ben felt a ripple of anger at Kalin's opportunistic opening. He had rather hoped that whatever price Kalin wanted for their rescue, he would be able to pay it.

"Walter... how is he?"

"He is fortunate to be alive, but we have seen his condition before. We may be able to help him."

"Is there another of my friends here? I thought I saw... in the desert..."

"A devilishly handsome soldier by the name of Ben Finn? Not dead yet, my -" Ben was cut off from what he was about to say (which was just as well, because he wasn't entirely sure _what_ he was about to say) when Rose abruptly threw her arms around his neck. Ben returned the gesture by circling his around her waist, his head bowing to the crook of her neck, breathing her in (and she smelt of salt, sand, blood and dust, but it didn't matter, because underneath it all she was still _Rose_ , solid, warm, _real_ and, most importantly, not floating in the sea or lost in the desert or...)

Ben's slippery slope thought process of what _could_ have been was interrupted when Rose (silently and discreetly) pressed a kiss to the skin on his neck behind his ear. "You're okay," she whispered in relief, "you're really okay!"

Ben smiled into her neck and returned the hidden kiss with one of his own. "Later," he said quietly, disentangling himself and offering his hand to Rose to help her from the bed. Kalin was watching them with an all-too-knowing smile on her face, and she beckoned them to follow her.

"Please, come with me," she said. Rose hesitated when she caught sight of Walter's still form, the healer and herbalist still busy around him. Ben slipped his hand in hers and gave her fingers an reassuring squeeze.

"Don't worry," he said, as much for himself as Rose. "He's a tough old nut – he'll pull through."

They followed Kalin through the Temple, Ben relating his tale to Rose as they walked. "It's so good to see you," he said. "When I was fished out of the local port and Walter and you weren't there... well I thought it was all over. Then I realised I was being an arse," he said, omitting the intervention of the mysterious mind-reader girl, "and worked my charms to get a search party out for you. Not that Kalin here needing much persuading."

"We are accustomed to misfortune," Kalin as she led them through the doors. "Now it is time you saw our city."

Ben hung back as Kalin explained Aurora's problems to Rose, who was listening intently. At Kalin's suggestion, Rose headed into the city to see for herself. Ben was loathed to let her go alone, especially so soon after waking up – but Kalin assured him that she was fine, and he had to admit to himself that some of the stories... some of the writings were best viewed alone.

Ben waited for Rose in the Temple where Kalin had set them up a room. The two cots were set up on opposite side of the room, and Ben shoved them together in the middle stubbornly. It had been a harrowing couple of days and he needed her close by.

And, from the way she threw her arms around him when she returned, she needed him just as much.

"What a sodding mess," she said into his shoulder. Her voice sounded stiff and nasally, much like when he found her in the sewers all those months ago. Given the prayers to lost loved ones dotted around the city, it was no wonder she had been crying.

"How's Walter?"

"Still asleep," she said. "Scout is with him... oh, Ben, the _things_ we saw..." She took a deep shuddering breath and held on to him tightly.

Ben manouvered them so they were sat on the (now double) bed, his back propped against the wall and Rose in his lap. She idly drew patters on his shirt over his chest as she spoke, telling him of the shadow in the temple underground, how it held Walter captive and took away his sight. And then, the fact that the people in this city living with that _thing_ coming after them...

Suddenly, Rose left his lap to walk over to the open window that overlooked the darkening city.

"Logan left these people to die," she said sadly. "I... I didn't realise he had such cruelty in him."

"I'd have thought what he did to Swift was evidence enough." Ben regretted his bitter choice of words when he saw Rose flinch.

"I know, that was bad, really bad. But... not that I'm justifying my brother's actions or anything - but the Major knew what he was getting into. Just like you, and me, and Page, and Walter. If he catches any of us that'll be the end of the road. But these people... they did nothing. They asked for his _help_. He promised that help... and then broke it. That's true cruelty."

Ben hummed in agreement, standing up to wrap his arms around her and rest his chin on her shoulder. "So are we going to save the city of Aurora then, princess?"

Rose grinned. "I'm going to bloody well try."

He kissed the top of her head, pleased that her smile had returned and the determination in her eyes had rekindled. She turned in his arms kissed him, fiercely and desperately to start with before slowing down, one arm going around his waist and the other gently cupping his jaw.

"Don't scare me like that again," she said quietly. Ben spluttered.

"Don't scare me she says – how the bloody hell do you think I felt?"

Rose laughed. "It was you that was missing from the group – so, by default, you scared us more." Her face fell slightly. "Though it was just as well you weren't with us. I hate to think what would have happened if we were all caught by the Crawler..."

Ben kissed Rose's frown away and led her back to the bed. "Don't think about it," he said, sitting down and drawing her into his lap again. "We're all here and we're all fine – or going to be fine," he amended, think of Walter sleeping in the infirmary.

Rose nodded in agreement, mentally pushing all thoughts and worries aside and physically pushing Ben back onto the bed. She was alive, he was alive, and there was no knowing what tomorrow would bring – so why worry about the future when the present isn't as bad as yesterday?

x.x.x.x

 _I need to play Fable 3 again, methinks._

 _Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews! I need to go and do my grocery shopping now (lamest excuse evaaar) but when I return I'll be replying to the backlog :D Hope this chapters wasn't too shite, just trying to get back into the swing of things._

 _PS I usually abhor Valentine's day, but it is an excuse to do some sappy writing. So, I'm thinking of doing prompt drabbles with Fable 3 as the subject – so, put up some prompt words/sentences and I'll pick one or two from each of you to work with :D_


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